Dianthus

Most of our pinks are good ground cover in a dry soil, making tidy, close plants. Generally flowering around midsummer, occasionally later. There are about 300 species worldwide, with over 100 species different in Europe There are 6 native to the UK. including D. deltoides, the maiden pink, which has simple 5 petalled flowers. Others have exotic frilly finely cut petals, making quite a statement.

With often fragrant, nectar-rich flowers, pinks are visited by many pollinators, including bees, wasps, butterflies and hoverflies over what can be a quite long flowering period, although forms with doubled flowers are of more limited value. The seeds and leaves are food plants for a number of native moths, both large and small.