Basic Facts About Carnation Plants
Carnation plants are loved all over the world for their wonderful scents and their stunning colors. They look great growing in a friendly, colorful garden, as well as in cheerful bouquets. The word “carnation” derives from the Greek word “dios” which refers to Zeus and “anthos”, meaning “flowering.” In other words, they are the “Flowers of Zeus.”
In the past, carnations were once used by the Romans and the Greeks in flower garlands. In one popular Christian story, they first appeared when Mary’s tears fell at the foot of the cross as she cried for her son, Jesus. Mary Jarvis adopted them as the official flower for Mother’s Day because they were, in fact, her favorite flower. They are native to Eurasia, although they are grown in many parts of the world, including Australia where they are considered exotic.
There are many different types of carnation plants. Some of the most popular ones include the border carnations, the annual carnations, and the perpetual-flowering carnations. They also grow in a variety of colors and each color has a different meaning associated with it.
Light red carnations, for instance, represent admiration while dark red carnations symbolize deep love. White carnations are used to signify good luck and pink carnations stand for a mother’s love. Yellow carnations, on the other hand, often represent dejection and disappointment, although it would be hard to imagine that given their sunny color. Most people simply choose the color of their carnation based on the brilliancy of its hues, although some people really like to know what each color stands for before they purchase them in order to make them more meaningful.
One reason that carnation plants are so popular is because once they are cut, they tend to last for a long time. Cut carnations look beautiful when used as accents around the home and some contain a lot of petals which really make them stand out. The Dianthus caryophyllus species of the carnation plant contains 5 petals. On the other hand, the Border Carnations can have as many as 40 petals at once. This makes them very attractive as cut flowers in vases and bouquets.
When they are grown in gardens, they tend to grow around 7 centimeters in height. The leaves on the plant are narrow and do not contain stalks. Their blooms are large and showy in contrast to their straight stems which support them.
To grow carnations, you can make cuttings from the suckers that are produced around the base of the stems or the even the main shorts before they produce buds. The new plants should grow well from these, although they grow the best when they are cut from the base.
Once the cuttings are made, they can be placed in pots in sandy soil until the spring when they can be transplanted into the soil outside. The best time to do this is usually sometimes in April. When transplanted, it’s important to ensure that the soil is either sandy loam or deep friable.
The plants should be kept moist and need at least some full sunlight every day. It is important not to over-water them because it might turn their foliage yellow. In order to encourage them to keep blooming, any wilting or dead blossoms should be removed. When plucking the carnations, it’s important to leave 3 or 4 nodes at the bottom and to remove the stem. This will also encourage them to continue growing and blossoming.
Once you have plucked the flowers, then you can use them for decorating purposes around the home, where they can lend color and brightness to any room.