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I've lost count as to how many knowledgeable plantsman
I've stumped with
this plant. Nobody has EVER even guessed the family,
Caryophyllaceae, let alone the genus or
species. Yes folks,
Dianthus japonicus is one of those mystery plants
that will not only
bring years of visual pleasure to your garden, but
just think of all the
fun you can have with your friends, as you test their
knowledge of the Plant
Kingdom.
The supple, evergreen foliage has a
waxy like feel and
appearance. In mid Summer, large heads of
multiple,
rosy-purplish-pink, long lasting flowers tower
12"-24" above the
basal foliage.
Obviously with a specific epithet
like japonicus,
Dianthus japonicus is native to, duh,
Japan, where it
grows on sandy beaches. In my mind, that
automatically speaks for
the fact that it prefers good drainage. It could also
mean salt tolerance
except that I haven't determined if they are native to salt
or fresh water
beaches. Here we grow it in full sun to part shade
and it does well in
average garden soil.
As with most Dianthus
species, Dianthus
japonicus is a short lived perennial,
however, it sets copious
amounts of seeds and will stay around forever.
I've
isolated a pure white
form and hope to have it in production by next
year.
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