Dianthus x ‘Blue Hills’ – An eye-catching combination of intense bright pink single blooms (emerging from May to June) over some of the bluest foliage you are ever going to find. The 1/2″ wide flowers are fragrant and the foliage is evergreen through winter. Dianthus are drought tolerant once established and a good choice for rock gardens. Grows 4-6″ high by 8-12″ wide. Zone 3.

Dianthus CANDY FLOSS (syn. ‘Devon Flavia’) – An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner and for good reason. The fully double pale pink flowers have bright magenta highlights in the center and an old-fashioned sweet clove fragrance. These are borne from May to August over attractive bluish-green foliage. A superb cut flower. Grows 6-10″ high by 12-16″ wide. Hardy to zone 5.

Dianthus ‘Passion’ (syn. ‘WP Passion’) – A part of the FIRST SCENT series with fully double blooms of bright cherry red that size somewhere between pinks and full-sized carnations. The flowers emerge from May to August, are fragrant and not prone to flopping like carnations. This English introduction has bluish-green foliage. Grows 6-10″ high by 12-16″ wide. Zone 5.

Dianthus superbus – Bearded or Fringed Dianthus are a bit of an oddity with their highly fringed (almost snowflake-like) blooms of pale pink to rosy-purple. These fragrant flowers emerge May to June over soft, mid-green foliage and have been cultivated in Europe since the 17th century. Deadheading  prolongs the display. Grows 12-18″ high by 6-9″ wide. Hardy to zone 5.

Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Tiny Rubies’ – One of the most common cultivars of Cheddar Pinks with hundreds of tiny miniature carnations of rosy-pink showing from May through to July. These are highly fragrant and suitable for an alpine trough due to their small scale. The mid-green foliage forms a tight grassy mound. Grows 4″ high by 8-12″ wide. Hardy to zone 3.