Pinks are perfectly hardy, growing best in a neutral to alkaline well drained garden soil. They prefer an open sunny situation – avoid planting too close to other herbaceous or shrubby plants where air movement might be restricted.   Dwarf Pinks in particular dislike winter wet so mixing a good handful of sand or gravel with the soil or compost and placing some around the base of the plant will help to keep the leaves and roots dry and well drained. All our Pinks are grown from the finest disease free mother stock to ensure your complete satisfaction provided you follow these few simple rules.

On receipt of your plants
On receipt of your plants, just check they have not dried out in transit.   If they are on the dry side, dunk them in a mug of water before planting.    Certain varieties may have a flower shoot developing. If this is so,
it has usually been left to make handling and potting easier for you. However, this shoot is best picked off at the base of the rooted cutting after potting in order to encourage more shoots to develop, resulting in a nice bushy plant. Certain varieties may have purple tipping on the leaves which is nothing to worry about and will disappear as the plant grows away and matures. During the spring, summer and early autumn the plug plants can be planted directly into the border 30cm apart. If you have received your plants from October to March, pot into a 9cm or 11cm pot using an all purpose general potting compost and keep in a cold airy greenhouse or frame until the spring. Then plant out as above.

Feed and water
All Pinks will grow and flower best if fed regularly during the growing season with a rose or tomato 1:1:2 fertiliser. This is particularly important after the first flush of blooms has finished in order to encourage them to flower again. They will tolerate dry conditions well but will only produce continuous flowers if you are able to water regularly, preferably at the base of the plant to avoid damaging the blooms.

Deadheading
When the main stem has finished flowering pick or cut off the stem at the base of the plant in order to keep the plant tidy and to encourage repeat flowering.  

Production for cutting
Ideally plant a row of Pinks in the vegetable or cutting garden where they will have maximum light and air movement.
Pick the flowers when they are almost fully open - not in bud. Picking too tight may result in the perfume not developing fully. Snap the stem at a node (joint) close to the base of the plant. If the stems are tough it is preferable to cut the flowers with scissors or a knife to avoid damaging the plant and thereby reducing the risk of disease entering wounds caused by careless picking.

Ensure the plants are regularly fed throughout the flowering season using a rose or tomato 1:1:2 fertiliser. Watering is preferable at ground level rather than overhead which may damage the blooms. Some varieties may take a six week rest after the first flush of flower but after feeding and watering they will start again. This way you should be able to have a continuous harvest of blooms for cutting from the end of April until the end of September.

Problems
You can get round the problem of poorly drained clay or acid soils with great success by planting Pinks in pots or containers using a proprietary potting compost. Feed and water regularly as above. Remember, waterlogged soil can very efficiently cause the loss of your plants. Be alert for slugs which can strip the stems. If your plant is looking sickly, have a look in the very centre or on the flower buds – you may find that aphids are the culprit. Occasionally we have had trouble with a moth caterpillar which eats the petals from within the bud leaving you with an empty shell. If you have other questions write to our Advisory Department or email 
carolyn@whetmanpinks.com

Propagation
Select healthy non-flowering shoots in July/August and insert in a pot of seed compost. Water in well, cover with a polythene bag secured round the pot with an elastic band or equivalent. Place on a windowsill out of direct sunshine and wait for approximately four weeks, checking from time to time that they have not dried out. When rooted, pot on into 7cm pots.

GOOD GROWING!