A Beginners Guide To Growing Carnations
Gardeners love growing carnations for a large variety of reasons. Not only are they beautiful, colorful and very easy to grow, but the red ones actually attract hummingbirds as well. This of course is just an added bonus for the bird enthusiast. Carnations grow anywhere from 18 inches to 24 inches tall. Their scent is very distinct and can often be described as spicy or a somewhat clove-like smell. If you are looking for variety then growing carnations is perfect for you since there are well over 300 different species and a couple hundred additional hybrid varieties. That's surely enough choices to keep you busy for awhile.
Carnations will bloom either as a perennial, or annual and biennial. They can be planted virtually anywhere including rock gardens and containers such as flower pots but most gardeners prefer planting them as borders or in flowerbeds. This is a hearty flower that will continue to bloom into fall as long as they are protected against any difficult weather. For those that like to clip a few flowers and bring them inside to enjoy on the dinner table then it is interesting to know that carnations can survive for two to three weeks in a vase! That's quite an impressive shelf life.
Carnations require four to five hours of direct sunlight per day to flourish and they prefer a well drained soil. When growing carnations you really need to be careful not to over water them or their foliage can become yellow and unpleasant. They generally only need watering in the hot and dry summer months. Peat is great to use for them as well as decomposed pine bark or very rotted cow manure. Keep in mind that carnations do not require a very rich soil or it may cause then to not bloom so don't overdo it. Also, mulching is never recommended because carnations require a great deal of air circulation.
Growing carnation can be done by seeds, division or cutting. When sowing seeds, you need to carefully space them about 12 inches apart and be sure that the compost is a bit moist but not actually wet. Apply firm soil on top of the seeds and water the seeds by misting them gently so you don't end up over-watering them. They will bloom in two to three weeks. Cuttings can also be taken from the terminal growth of the plant. Insert these cuttings in pure sand, making sure that the lowest leaf does not touch the sand. These generally will become ready to transplant in approximately 25 to 30 days. Growing carnations by division involves rejuvenating the old plants. You will need to dig up the plant by pulling out the whole entire clump and then replanting the exact same way that you would an annual or perennial.
Carnations generally do not attract insect of diseases which makes growing them really idea for even the newbie gardener because they are virtually maintenance free. If an occurrence does happen in your plant for some reason then simply spray them with an insecticide or a fungicide. The plant will generally not be affected. If your carnation will be a taller species then you should plan on placing a support in the soil directly after planting so that when the plants emerge, the stems are able to remain up. Carnations are a lovely, colorful flower that will accent anyone's landscaping with elegance. The fact that growing carnations is very simple and the plants require little fussing over make them a truly ideal flower for just about everyone.