Since ancient times, carnation has been a favorite of flower growers in many countries. The smell of a flowering crop is similar to the aroma of clove buds - a well-known spice. Hence the name of this flower. But with Greek language The name of the plant is translated as “divine flower” or “flower of Zeus.”
If you decide to plant carnations in your flower garden, then you need to know some rules for growing, caring for and propagating this flower in open ground. Numerous photos of these wonderful plants will help you choose a variety.
Small but eye-catching flowers of Turkish carnation will look great in any flower bed
Description of Turkish cloves
Turkish carnation is one of the most common types of crops grown in flower beds. It fell in love with gardeners back in the 16th century for its bright flowering caps. This ornamental plant comes in different shades. Available as solid white and various shades red, and two- and even three-colored with various patterns on the petals of medium-sized (1–1.5 cm in diameter) flowers. The designs vary from borders on petals to eyes and intricate figures. And the carnation petals themselves are very diverse. There are both five-petalled varieties and varieties with double flowers. Carnations bloom from the beginning of summer for a month.
Planting carnations
The most beautiful Turkish carnation grows in fertile soil. It blooms well in open sunny areas, but will also grow in partial shade. If you add fertilizers to sandy and loamy soils, they will be quite suitable for Turkish cloves. Before planting, when digging into the soil, add compost or humus, ash, and mineral fertilizers.
There is no need to dig the future bed too deeply; 25–30 cm is enough. Next, the bed is leveled and moistened if the soil is dry. The prepared area is covered with thick cloth for two weeks. When time has passed, you can start planting flowers.
If the soil is fertile enough, the carnation will bloom long and lush.
Sow seeds in furrows up to 1.5 cm deep. The gaps between furrows should be at least 15 cm. Seeds are sown in furrows, watered and sprinkled with soil. The soil needs to be lightly compacted. There is no need to water anymore, you just need to cover the bed with a thick cloth until the first shoots appear.
Carnations can be planted both in spring and autumn. It is performed using the same technology.
Attention. During autumn planting both seeds and furrows must be dry.
Caring for Turkish cloves
As has already been noted, carnations feel best in sunny areas in fertile soils. These flowers are very sensitive to winter temperature fluctuations. This is especially true for young plants. Turkish carnations do not tolerate waterlogging and stagnation of water.
Plants are most at risk in early spring, when temperature changes are especially large, because during the day the plants heat up in the sun, and at night they freeze. To prevent plants from dying during this period, non-frost-resistant varieties must be covered with spruce branches. The shelter can be removed only when the likelihood of return frosts disappears.
Protect Turkish cloves from frost
When the carnation fades, the stems must be trimmed and fertilizer added to the soil. Thus, in a month the plant will already grow new stems, and some varieties will bloom a second time. Turkish cloves, grown according to all the rules, live up to six years, while bad conditions reduce its residence time in the flower garden to three years.
You need to water the cloves once or twice a week. And if the summer is dry, then the amount of watering needs to be increased. Water the plant on the ground, because if drops of water get on the flower, it can burn in the sun.
Attention. Cloves do not tolerate waterlogging.
Fertilizer and feeding
Turkish carnation, the planting and care of which were described above, also needs feeding. When growing cloves in open ground, the first fertilizing of the plant is done when it has reached a height of 10 cm. 1 tbsp is used as fertilizer. l. nitrophoska and 1 tbsp. l. "Agricola Forward", diluted in 10 liters of warm water.
Feed the crop several times per season
When your flowers begin to develop buds, it is necessary to carry out a second feeding. This time you need to use 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and the same amount of superphosphate, also diluted in 10 liters of water.
The third fertilizing is applied directly during the flowering period of the carnation; 1 tbsp is required per 10 liters of water. l. fertilizers "Agricola for flowering plants».
Attention. Feeding consumption should be 10 liters per 5 square meters. m.
Plant propagation
Propagation of Turkish carnation is most often carried out by seeds or layering. In order to propagate cloves by layering, you need to follow a simple algorithm of actions:
- in July or August, the shoots must be tilted to the ground, secured and sprinkled with soil;
- tie the stem to the peg, keeping it vertical;
- take care of the shoots that will appear in a few weeks;
- In the fall, new shoots must be cut off and planted in open ground.
Turkish clove seeds
Another way to propagate Turkish carnations is through cuttings. To do this, I most often use shoots that have not formed inflorescences this year.
You can also use bushes that grew in open ground as a result of self-seeding of cloves as seedlings. They just need to be transplanted to the place you need. However, it is worth remembering that self-seeding often loses distinctive features varieties.
Diseases and pests of Turkish cloves
Turkish carnation is a disease-resistant plant, but occasionally, mainly in the southern regions, it can get sick viral disease which is spread by sucking insects. It manifests itself in the inhibition of flower growth, the appearance of a mosaic color on the leaves with their subsequent deformation. In this case sick plant must be destroyed immediately to prevent infection of other bushes.
Spider mite
Also occasionally found in Turkish cloves heterosporiosis. This fungal disease appears on leaves and stems in the form of small gray spots. Sometimes the spots have a red border. Subsequently, the spots lighten and merge with each other. In this case, the flower becomes fragile in the area where spots accumulate, the leaves turn yellow and die. The fungus lives on the plant even after it has died, therefore, in case of infection, it is necessary to carefully remove all remnants of the diseased flower, and the surrounding plants must be treated with Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride.
Of the pests, Turkish carnation planted in open ground can attack spider mite and aphids.
Turkish carnation in a flower bed
The simplest and most reliable means of resisting these pests is considered to be a tincture of potato tops. To do this, 10 liters of water require 1 kg of potato tops, infused for one and a half days. Before spraying, add 1 tbsp to the tincture. l. liquid soap.
Advice. Spray carnations on cool mornings or evening time.
Turkish cloves in combination with other plants
In flower beds, it is recommended to plant carnations with the same perennial sunflowers. For example, Turkish carnations will go well with Alpine aster, Carpathian bell and rudbeckia. All of these perennial flowers have the same requirements for soil and watering and feel great in open sunny areas.
Turkish carnation in landscape design
IN landscape design Turkish cloves are used quite often. A big role in this is played by the ease of caring for this flower, combined with its incredible beauty. Use cloves to create spectacular borders. In landscape design, carnations can also play the role of a lawn and serve as ground cover plants. Bright hats will look great between sidewalk tiles, framed by steps, or decorate retaining walls.
Turkish carnation in landscape design
This flower is often used to decorate alpine slides. In addition to variegated flower beds, you can diversify your landscape design with original monochromatic duets, for example, combining red varieties of carnations with blood-red geraniums.
In addition, this flower can be planted in pots and decorated with small flower beds on terraces and rooms.
This flower also looks great cut in bouquets, both as a solo plant and in combination with other flowers.
It all depends only on your imagination. And if you lack inspiration, look at the photos with these beautiful flowers, maybe they will help you determine best place for carnations in the flower garden.
The Turkish carnation is one of the most unpretentious garden flowers to care for, which delights even the most capricious gardener with its bright, rich beauty.
Caring for Turkish carnation: video
Turkish cloves: photo
Among the numerous genus of carnations, the Turkish carnation stands out: firstly, it is perhaps most often found in our flower beds, and secondly, it is a biennial. Strictly speaking, in nature this variety grows as a perennial, but due to the cool climate in middle lane in our country it is cultivated as a biennial.
The plant is incredibly popular - in almost every garden you can find multi-colored inflorescences of Turkish carnation. This is not surprising: its small but bright flowers are very attractive and perfectly decorate flower beds. In addition, despite its short lifespan, the culture is very unpretentious and easily propagated. In addition, Turkish cloves exude wonderful aroma and is an excellent honey plant that attracts bees.
But this is not all the advantages of this wonderful plant. Its flowers are edible, and its petals have a pleasant sweet taste. Also, Turkish cloves are considered medicinal, although official science has not yet confirmed this fact. However, despite the many useful properties, most often Turkish cloves are used in ornamental gardening.
The plant began to be cultivated in the 14th century, and the first mention of it is found in the works of the English botanist and naturalist John Gerard.
The Russian name of the species indicates the homeland of the culture: in its natural environment, the flower can most often be found in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Additionally, wild Turkish cloves grow in northeastern China as well as southeastern Russia. Well, garden varieties can be found all over the world, they are especially popular in regions with temperate climates. Natural varieties plants are usually colored red and white, cultivated Turkish carnations have a variety of shades - pink, purple, lilac, white, red, etc. Selection has also worked on the shape of the flower - double and semi-double inflorescences are often found, and the height of the varieties may vary.
Interesting English name Turkish carnation: in the UK the flower is called Sweet William. There are several versions of the origin of the unusual nickname. According to one legend, the plant is named after the famous 18th-century military leader William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, and according to another, in honor of William Shakespeare. Other famous people with the same name are also mentioned - William the Conqueror and St. William of York. According to another, more prosaic version, the word “william” is similar to the French “oeillet”, which translates as “clove”. The British are very fond of this flower: it often appears in folklore romantic ballads and was even included in the bride's bouquet during the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
In our country, this species is sometimes called the bearded carnation because large quantity thread-like bracts that look like a beard around the flower.
Botany classifies the Turkish carnation (lat. Dianthus barbatus) to the numerous genus of carnations (lat. Dianthus) of the clove family (lat. Caryophyllaceae). It is medium tall (20-60 cm in height) herbaceous plant with strong erect shoots, narrow elongated (1-2 cm in length, 4-10 cm in width) green or silver-green leaves and dense corymbose inflorescences, consisting of individual flowers of various colors. The diameter of one flower varies from 2 to 3 cm, and the diameter of the entire inflorescence is about 10-15 cm. Usually a flower consists of five petals, but flowers of double and semi-double forms can contain up to ten petals. After flowering, a capsule fruit with a large number of flat black seeds is formed.
There are two known subspecies of the flower, each of which is cultivated:
- Bearded carnation (lat. Dianthus barbatus var. barbatus)
- Asian carnation (lat. Dianthus barbatus var. asiaticus)
There are countless varieties of Turkish cloves. Conventionally, they can be divided by height.
Low-growing varieties (up to 35 cm) include:
- "Heart Attack" - bushes about 30 cm high, with dense inflorescences of a rich wine-red hue. There are small white dots in the center of the flower.
- “Noverna” (Noverna) is a variety series characterized by medium (about 30 cm in height) sizes, large flowers of various colors and elongated bright green leaves.
- “Diabunda” (Diabunda) is a collection of low-growing, highly branching, multi-colored varieties. Often grown as a potted crop. "Purple Picotee" - creamy-purple inflorescences, "Crimson" - scarlet inflorescences, "Red" - dark red inflorescences.
- “Festival” (Festival) - a series of varieties whose height does not exceed 25 cm. Popular colors: “Light Pink” - light pink, “White Flame” - two-color white and pink, “White” - cream, “Salmon” - salmon , “Cherry” - dark cherry, etc.
G. "Heart Attack", G. "Noverna", G. "Diabunda", G. "Festival" - "Dash" (Dash) is a group of perennial (rather than biennial) varieties of Turkish cloves. The height of an individual plant is 30-35 cm, the color can be different: “Magician” - white and pink flowers, flowers of different shades are collected in one inflorescence, “Crimson” - dark burgundy flowers.
- "Wee Willie" (Wee Willie) - very low-growing (up to 15 cm) plants with bright, mostly bicolor, white-pink flowers.
- "Indian Carpet" is another dwarf (12-15 cm) variety that can be used as a ground cover. On sale you can most often find a mixture of red, white and pink shades.
- "Dynasty Orchid" (Dynasty Orchid) is a terry variety of medium (25-30 cm) sizes. Red, pink and cream colors are common.
G. "Dash", G. "Wee Willie", G. "Indian Carpet", G. "Dynasty Orchid" Tall (up to 60 cm) Turkish carnations are:
- "Holborn Glory" (Holborn Glory) is a variety that has been cultivated since the 20s of the last century. The bushes, reaching a height of 60 cm, are decorated with large two-color (white-red) inflorescences.
- “Messenger” is a group of medium-tall (up to 45 cm) plants with large, usually without patterns, flowers. “White” – white inflorescences, “Red” – red inflorescences.
- “Rocking Red” is a large (45-60 cm) variety with beautiful, rich red flowers.
- "Diadem" (Diadem) is a plant about 38 cm high with bright red flowers with a white center.
- "Heimatland" (Heimatland) - a variety with a classic red and white ( white center, red edges) colored 45-47 cm high.
G. "Holborn Glory", G. "Rocking Red", G. "Diadem", G. "Heimatland" Most often there are various mixtures of colors on sale, for example “Auricula Eyed Mixed”, “ Festival Mixed", "Diabunda Mixed", "Super Duplex Mixed", "Kaleidoscope Mixed" and others. They look much brighter and more interesting than plain varieties.
Well, the most unusual Turkish carnations are the following:
- “Nigrescens” (Nigrescens, black) is a group of varieties that are distinguished by their very dark color. The most widely known variety of the group can be called “Sooty” - a medium-tall (30-37 cm) carnation with red-violet, almost black, flowers and a large number of thin long bracts.
- “Green Trick”, “Green Ball” (Green Trick, Green Ball) are Japanese varieties that hit the Dutch flower market. Tall shoots are decorated with fluffy bright green balls. These balls are not flowers; moreover, the plant does not bloom, but the long fluffs are thin thread-like bracts.
G. "Sooty", G. "Green Ball" There are countless varieties of Turkish carnation, and every year breeders delight gardeners with new ones, each of which is uniquely beautiful.
Turkish carnation in landscape design
This garden plant truly universal. It can be used in a wide variety of landscape compositions: borders, mixborders, ridges. Moreover, both monotype flower beds and multi-species flower beds look great. Tall and medium-growing varieties of Turkish carnation will be an excellent background for shorter ground covers. The only thing a gardener should remember when creating complex, diverse compositions is the flowering time of each species.
Low growing varieties Sweet William are perfect for alpine hills and rock gardens, especially since open sun combined with poor rocky soil are ideal conditions for Turkish carnation.
Thanks to its natural beauty, the flower fits perfectly into an artificial landscape that imitates wildlife, A pleasant aroma plants will attract butterflies, bees and birds to such a garden.
Sometimes Turkish cloves are grown in outdoor containers and even in pots, like indoor plant. It looks good in dishes, but due to its short lifespan, it requires constant renewal.
Culture, especially tall varieties, suitable for cutting, as an addition to bouquets of wildflowers.
Turkish carnation: cultivation and care
As mentioned above, in temperate latitudes, Turkish carnation is grown as a biennial. This means that in the first year roots, leaves and shoots grow, usually stunted, and in the second year flowers and seeds appear, after which the plant dies. However, in favorable conditions the plant can bloom for several years in a row, in addition, it happens that flowers appear in the first year.
[!] Sometimes Turkish carnation forms lush green cushions in the second year, but does not bloom. In this case, you should leave it in the flowerbed; most likely, flowers will appear next year.
And yet, most often the plant has a two-year cycle, which determines the agricultural technology of its cultivation.
Planting and propagation
Typically, Turkish cloves are obtained from seeds. They are sold in many stores and have good germination. The plant can also be propagated vegetatively. Let's consider both methods.
Planting seeds
Turkish clove seeds are planted in different ways:
- In spring in open ground
- In late summer or early autumn in open ground.
Turkish cloves are rarely grown for seedlings; usually the seeds are sown directly into the soil.
[!] Some flower growers claim that it is possible to achieve flowering in the first year. To do this, it is necessary to plant seeds for seedlings in a warm room at the beginning of spring, and then, in May, transfer the seedlings to open ground.
Spring sowing can begin after consistently warm weather has established itself and the threat of frost has passed, usually the end of May. Best time for autumn sowing - the last days of August or the beginning of September. It is advisable to sow immediately permanent place so as not to injure the plant once again by replanting. However, if necessary, Turkish carnation can be moved: spring seedlings are usually moved to a new place no earlier than the end of summer, and autumn ones - to next year, spring.
The technology for planting seeds is the same at any time of the year:
- Choose a flat area, remove weeds, level the ground.
- Moisten the soil, but do not soak the seeds themselves! They should remain dry.
- Scatter the seeds over the surface, trying to maintain a distance between them of at least 3-5 cm.
- Sprinkle the seeds on top with dry, clean soil.
- The top of the bed is sometimes covered with film or non-woven material, however, if the weather is warm enough, this can be done without.
After the seeds have sprouted, they need to be thinned out a little, if necessary. Typically, the sprouts of Turkish cloves are very thin, weak and weed-like. Remember where you planted the flower so you don't accidentally weed it out. Further care of the seedlings consists of regular watering and weeding of the beds.
Layerings, cuttings
Turkish cloves are also propagated, although much less frequently, vegetatively. An interesting way to obtain young plants from mother specimens using layering: at the end of summer, long, thin-leafed young shoots are tilted, trying not to break them, pinned to the soil surface with a wooden or plastic bracket and sprinkled with a little earth. After some time, roots form at the point where the stem comes into contact with the soil, after which the shoot can be separated and planted in a new place.
Location, soil
Turkish carnation has earned a reputation as an absolutely unpretentious plant that can grow almost anywhere and on any substrate. This is true, but the flower still has some preferences.
The homeland of this culture is hot southern countries, which is why Turkish cloves are considered sun-loving plant. However, if open spaces are absent on your site, you can plant it in partial shade. You should only avoid completely shaded places - in this case, flowering may be scanty or not occur at all.
As for the soil, gardeners have differing opinions. Some say that Sweet William prefers fertile, humus-rich substrates. Others, not unreasonably, believe that best choice soils will become poor with a high content of sand and small stones. Indeed, Turkish cloves can grow on almost any soil, however, an excess of humus can lead to an increase in green mass, but there will be few flowers. It is worth paying attention to good drainage– the soil must be loose, water- and breathable. The most suitable substrate acidity for cloves is 7.0-7.5 pH (slightly alkaline soils).
Watering, fertilizing
This beautifully flowering biennial should be watered sparingly, twice a week. If the summer is hot, the frequency of watering can be increased slightly. Turkish cloves often suffer from root rot, so you shouldn’t overwater them either.
[!] It is better to water the flower at the root, and not from above. Drops of water that land on petals and leaves can leave unsightly brown spots.
It is not at all necessary to feed cloves; they are able to obtain all the necessary substances from soil and water. However, if you want to pamper the southern beauty, you can apply special fertilizer for beautiful flowering plants during the bud formation period.
Flowering, care after flowering
In central Russia, bearded carnation blooms, as a rule, in the middle or end of June, and the duration of its flowering is about 30-40 days. After flowering ends, fruit set and seed ripening begins.
What to do with a faded plant depends on your goals. If you want to get carnations to self-sow, don’t touch anything - the seeds will ripen, fall to the ground, and new young carnations will appear next year.
[!] Carnation flowers are often cross-pollinated, so during the next flowering the colors of the petals may change slightly.
If self-seeding is not needed, faded flower stalks can be cut off, especially since they become unattractive. Sometimes this procedure stimulates the setting of new buds, and in August Sweet William blooms again.
Wintering
Turkish carnation is considered a fairly winter-hardy plant. In temperate and southern latitudes there is no need to cover it for the winter. Protection from frost will be required only in the northern regions, and also if the seeds were planted in early autumn and the emerging shoots have not yet had time to get stronger. For winter shelter, you can use spruce branches, dry fallen leaves or a layer of peat mulch.
In winter, the dense thickets of Turkish carnation are often inhabited by field mice, which eat the stems and thus harm the plant. To prevent the appearance of mice, you should create a barrier of aromatic plants, the smell of which mice cannot tolerate. To do this, you need to place twigs of thuja, elderberry, walnut or heads of garlic. Another way to fight mice that is safe for flowers and people is to plant blackroot, an attractive and very useful plant, next to the cloves.
Diseases and pests
Although the Turkish clove is a fairly resilient plant, it is sometimes damaged by certain diseases and pests.
Among the phytopathogens dangerous to flowers, one can distinguish the fusarium fungus, which causes a disease called. The fungus affects both the roots, on which rotting areas appear, and the shoots of the plant. To prevent fusarium, you should control the watering of Turkish cloves (there should not be too much moisture), thin out too dense plantings and use resistant varieties. If a flower is sick, you need to remove it from the garden and burn it, and treat healthy specimens with fungicides.
In most of our gardens you can find bright, multi-colored, patterned, abundantly blooming flower – Turkish carnation (Dianthus barbatus). Its neat, variegated bushes look especially impressive on lawn compositions in combination with ornamental grass or other types of Turkish carnation itself.
Did you know? Turkish cloves are not only beautiful to look at, but also have an alluring, subtle, spicy scent.
A little about Turkish cloves
The Turkish carnation has the following description: it is an ornamental biennial or perennial flower with densely flowering spherical inflorescences of various shades. The petals are delicate and can be single or double. The color of the petals is very diverse - there are monochromatic types, and there are those combining 3-4 shades. The color of the inflorescences is white, pink-white, raspberry-red, white-dark pink, white-gray-pink, white-violet, raspberry-white, red-burgundy, purple-white, burgundy-black, etc.
Important! The Turkish carnation blooms in full force only in the second year after planting. In the first year, the plant takes root and grows basal foliage.
Leaves– narrow, long, lanceolate, with a characteristic green-blue tint. Stem- erect, strong, with fine knobbiness. In terms of height, the Turkish carnation can be short - up to 14-15 cm in height, and tall - 45-55 cm and even up to 65-70 cm in height.
Choosing a place to grow Turkish cloves
The plant is unpretentious and does not require any specific growing conditions. Turkish cloves are equally suitable for growing in the garden, in a flower bed or in a large open flower bed. The only thing is that the flower does not like strong sun, and it is recommended to plant it so that in the afternoon the plant is in partial shade. Although in our climate, Turkish carnation grows well and tolerates summer heat and direct sunlight quite well. It is advisable to plant the plant at some elevation, in an area where rainwater will not stagnate.
Preparing the soil before planting
Turkish carnation is one of the few flowers for which the soil, or rather its composition, does not matter much. But it loves sandy and sandy loam soils with slightly alkaline or neutral acidity. It is better, of course, if the soil is fertile, but if not, you can additionally fertilize it with organic matter or mineral fertilizers
. The main thing is that the soil is well drained and there is no stagnation of water. 2-3 weeks before sowing, dig up the area to a depth of 20-25 cm, and then carefully level it. If necessary, fertilizers are added when digging - this can be either mineral fertilizers, compost, humus, or wood ash.
Sowing Turkish clove seeds in open ground There are two periods when you can sow Turkish cloves in open ground - early spring and mid-autumn. Before spring planting
seeds, usually mid to late April, the soil is loosened and moistened. Lay grooves 1-1.5 cm deep, water the depressions with water, sow seeds, sprinkle with soil and water with a watering can with a sprayer. Or they water the seeds themselves in the hole, sprinkle them, but do not water them, but cover them with thick cloth or film until germination begins. The distance between seeds is 1.5-2 cm, the row spacing is at least 13-15 cm. How to plant Turkish clove seeds – should you soak them or not? Before planting, the seeds can be soaked in water for several hours. room temperature
Important! , but you don’t have to do this. If you did soak them, then after draining the water, you need to lightly dry the seeds with a towel or napkin so that they do not stick together when sowing. In winter, the plant is sown in late September - early October.
Turkish cloves, when grown from seeds in the fall, have one peculiarity - neither the seeds nor the soil are moistened with water. Sow the seeds completely without watering in dry soil.
For winter insulation, autumn crops are covered with spruce branches, straw, hay, which are removed in the spring.
Combination with other plants Turkish carnation goes well with almost all perennial unpretentious flowers and herbs.
Did you know? Suitable for alpine slides, outdoor flowerpots, creating multi-color complex compositions in gardens and flower beds, decorating verandas and balconies. Looks great in a bouquet and is often used as a vase flower.
Turkish carnation blooms for a long time - it decorates a garden or flowerbed for up to 28-30 days.
Caring for Turkish Carnation Turkish carnation is not capricious, hardy, and After sowing, germination occurs within 10-14 days. After 3 weeks, the grown seedlings dive (in the evening), leaving a distance between them of no more than 5-7 cm. After slightly moistening the soil, you can again cover the sprouts with film or cloth for several days. After sowing the seeds and before germination, the soil should be constantly moist. Next, water the seedlings as the soil dries.
Watering, weeding and loosening the soil
Water the plant only as needed. Both young crops of Turkish cloves and adult plants get sick and die from constant dampness.
Important! Excess moisture is detrimental to a growing and mature plant. Watering Turkish cloves should always be moderate.
Weeding is done if necessary, removing weeds and carrying out shallow loosening of the soil. They also loosen the soil after each watering and fertilizing.
When and how to fertilize
Fertilizing Turkish carnations is carried out to accelerate growth and friendly, abundant flowering. You can start fertilizing sprouts that have reached a height of 8-10 cm. Use superphosphate, potassium sulfate or universal fertilizers for flowering plants. Feed the Turkish carnation again at the very beginning of flowering when the buds appear. Dosages of all nutritional medications are according to their instructions.
Shelter for the winter
After the plant has flowered, it is pruned - the inflorescences are cut off and the bush itself is shortened a little (by 5-7 cm). And in the fall, before the onset of frost, they are covered with spruce branches or sprinkled with peat, hay, and straw for insulation.
Did you know? Popular varieties Turkish carnation – “Scarlet Beauty”, “Black”, “White Queen”, “Bayer”, “Diabunda-F1”, “Indian Carpet”, “Summer Fantasy”, “Nigricans”, “Noverna F1”, “Noverna-Clown” -F1", "Little Willy", "Egyptian", "Mirage", "Ondine", "Dynasty-F1", "Purple Mountain", "Color Pattern".
Diseases and pests of Turkish cloves
Turkish cloves, like any other plant, are susceptible to some pests and diseases. Main enemy- This is root rot (fusarium), which occurs due to damp soil. If the plant is sick, it is uprooted and burned, and the area is treated with a garden fungicide disinfectant. There is also one like this fungal disease Turkish carnation as heterosporiosis - gray-red spotted lesions on leaves. At the first signs, diseased plants are destroyed, and healthy ones are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture,
In most of our gardens you can find a bright, multi-colored, patterned flower that blooms profusely - the Turkish carnation (Dianthus barbatus). Its neat, variegated bushes look especially impressive on lawn compositions in combination with ornamental grass or other types of Turkish carnation itself.
Did you know? Turkish cloves are not only beautiful to look at, but also have an alluring, subtle, spicy scent.
The Turkish carnation has the following description: it is a decorative biennial or perennial flower with densely blooming spherical inflorescences of various shades. The petals are delicate and can be single or double. The color of the petals is very diverse - there are monochromatic types, and there are those combining 3-4 shades. The color of the inflorescences is white, pink-white, raspberry-red, white-dark pink, white-gray-pink, white-violet, raspberry-white, red-burgundy, purple-white, burgundy-black, etc.
Important! The Turkish carnation blooms in full force only in the second year after planting. In the first year, the plant takes root and grows basal foliage. The leaves are narrow, long, lanceolate, with a characteristic green-blue tint. The stem is erect, strong, with fine knots. In terms of height, the Turkish carnation can be short - up to 14-15 cm in height, and tall - 45-55 cm and even up to 65-70 cm in height.
Description of the flower
Dianthus barbatus is a member of the clove family and enjoys temperate climates. Unlike the Chinese carnation (Dianthus chinensis), the Turkish carnation is a frequent inhabitant of flower beds and front gardens.
She, like her Chinese relative, in the first year of life forms only bushes with rosettes of leaves. From the second, it begins to simultaneously throw out flower stalks and additional rosettes of leaves. This allows it to bloom in all its glory for up to 4 years. However, flower growers, summer residents, and residents of private houses often grow these cultivated garden varieties as biennials.
The small flowers form umbrellas with lush, fragrant, bright inflorescences up to 15 cm in diameter. They are located on each stem. The flowers have 4 bracts with a hairy border similar to a beard along the edges. It was they who gave her the name “bearded”.
Turkish carnation has a huge variety of colors of single and double flowers. They can be red, crimson, burgundy, pink, white or variegated with different shades, patterns in the form of borders, spots, strokes. The inflorescences with a very delicate aroma resemble large caps on stems with leaves, which can also be painted in different colors. Probably, this bright color scheme of petals is also associated with the patterns on Turkish carpets...
Growing by seedlings
When growing Turkish cloves from seeds, sowing is carried out in March or the first ten days of April. In order to get a strong healthy seedlings, the seed must be placed in a previously disinfected substrate. Disinfection is usually carried out using a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate. The substrate itself must be fertile; it is often made up of leaf humus and sand.
So, growing Turkish cloves using seedlings.
- We rinse the seedling container with hot water and place it on the bottom. drainage layer, on top - moistened substrate.
- We sow the seeds, laying them to a depth of about 1 cm. The distance between them should be 2-3 cm.
- Cover the container with loose paper and keep it at a temperature of +16..18°C. We periodically moisten the substrate.
- When seedlings appear, move the container to a well-lit place and lower the temperature by a couple of degrees.
Take note! If the air temperature is high, the seedlings can become very stretched!
- As soon as a pair of true leaves appear on the seedlings, we pick them into separate peat cups. We use the same soil mixture.
A couple of weeks before transplanting cloves into open ground, it is necessary to begin the hardening procedure. Every day we take young plants out to Fresh air, increasing the exposure time daily. After two weeks, the seedlings should completely get used to the new environment. It is advisable that by this time they spend the night with the window open. 
Sowing in open ground
First, you should find out when to plant Turkish cloves in open ground. This is done in the third or fourth decade of May, when the threat of night frosts has passed and the soil and air have warmed up sufficiently.
On a note! Sowing seeds in open ground can also be done in the fall - in October, but remember that the seed in this case, like the soil, must certainly be dry. After sowing, the area is insulated with sawdust or peat. In spring, the mulch layer is removed.
It is advisable to sow seeds on sunny area. The most preferable are places with sandy or loamy soil. A couple of weeks before sowing, the bed is dug up to a depth of about 20 cm and a mixture of compost and wood ash is added to each square meter approximately 7 kg of organic matter and 250 g of ash. At the same time, you can fertilize the soil mineral supplements for flowering plants - about a tablespoon per square meter. Cover the prepared area with polyethylene and leave for 10-15 days.
Let's move on to planting Turkish carnations:
- We make shallow grooves in the soil, leaving a distance of 15 cm between them. We spill them thoroughly with water.
- Place seeds in each groove. Don't forget to leave 2-3 cm between them.
- Sprinkle the substrate on top and lightly compact the soil. We cover the crops on top with woven material.
- When the first shoots appear, remove the cover.
Growing and care
Which Turkish carnation needs care during the growing process so that the plant blooms luxuriantly and brightly? Growing Turkish carnations is not difficult even for the most inexperienced gardeners. First of all, caring for Turkish cloves involves regular weeding. The bushes of this plant are very delicate and can easily be drowned out by weeds. Simultaneously with weeding, you should loosen the soil around the roots to ensure oxygen access to them.
Watering
This flower does not like too much watering. It is quite enough to water the bushes twice a week in dry weather. Watering should be done early in the morning or in the evening. Only 12-15 liters of water should be used per square plot of land - this volume of moisture is quite enough for the flower. There is no need to be overzealous with watering, as clove roots are susceptible to various rots. When watering, do not water the plants from above. Watering should be done only at the root with a diffuse stream.
Feeding
How to grow luxuriously flowering bushes Turkish carnation perennial? They need to be fertilized properly. Although some gardeners believe that this plant does not need fertilizing at all, Turkish cloves must be fertilized. You can feed flowers with organic matter or complex mineral fertilizers. The first fertilizing is applied to the bushes when they reach a height of about 12 cm. The plants need to be fertilized a second time during the formation of buds. Garden perennial carnation also needs autumn feeding. If your carnation doesn't have enough nutrients, it won't bloom well. Turkish clove is not the most capricious flower to grow, and if you follow agricultural practices, this plant will definitely delight you with abundant and colorful flowering.
Plant after flowering
After flowering, caring for the plant is very simple. The bushes just need to be trimmed. The bushes are trimmed almost flush with the ground. After pruning, the plants are watered, weeded, and the soil around them is loosened. Within a month, the bushes will sprout new shoots, which may even bloom by autumn. 
Preparing for winter
This plant is frost-resistant. But, despite the carnation’s resistance to cold, it is still worth covering it for the winter. You can cover the bushes with spruce branches and cover them with peat mixture. In the spring, when the snow melts, the bushes should not be opened immediately, since in spring there is a high risk of severe frosts. When the plant begins to grow in the spring, the covering material is removed and the young shoots are shaded. This plant does not tolerate excess moisture very well, so in winter, if too much snow falls, it is better to remove it. This way, in the spring, the soil in the flower bed with Turkish carnations will not be overly wet.
Sowing in protected soil, in a greenhouse
- Choose a well-lit place for seed germination, maintaining the temperature there at least 13 degrees.
- To speed up growth, cover the bed with glass or film.
- Sprouts appear quickly, approximately 2-3 weeks after sowing.
- When the seedlings grow up, do not forget to thin them out or plant them in another bed.
- Before transferring the seedlings to the garden bed, feed them with nitrogen fertilizer - it is used as an anti-stress drug.
- Carnations can be planted 25cm apart in the flowerbed when warm weather arrives.
If you grow seedlings and thus extend the growing season, you don’t have to cut the flowers and enjoy flowering this year.
Reproduction by layering
The variety you like can be propagated by layering:
Propagation by cuttings
They are cut from a stem taken from a plant in its second year of life and planted in loose, moist soil, creating light shade. After about 3 weeks, the seedlings will begin to grow - this can be determined by the appearance of new leaves. They are transplanted in August. They will bloom next year. If you carry out this operation in a greenhouse or greenhouse, the cuttings will take root much faster. This method is used if you want to preserve your favorite variety.
Turkish carnation can reproduce by self-sowing. Of course, there will be significantly fewer plants, but they will still delight you with magnificent flowering.
Turkish cloves in combination with other plants
An important rule for placing perennials in open ground is to create such combinations of colors in the flowerbed that do not conflict with each other in terms of cultivation and care. A light-loving carnation will be comfortable surrounded by the same admirers. sun rays, like herself. In addition, it is desirable that neighboring perennial crops had the same requirements for soil type, watering, and fertilizer.
Therefore, the optimal combination of carnations in landscape design with the following neighbors:
- alpine aster;
- Carpathian bell;
- rudbeckia.
Turkish carnation in landscape design
The Turkish variety of carnation makes a spectacular border. This feature can be used in landscape design to design flower beds, garden paths, lawns. Low growing varieties are also suitable for growing on alpine roller coaster. Medium-sized varieties of carnations will fit harmoniously into variegated mixborders.
It is very profitable to make ridges from plantings of Turkish carnations - this lush plant spreads out like a thick umbrella and hides the soil well. Such a flowerbed can contain varieties of the same flower petals, as well as a combination of burgundy, red, pink, purple, and white varieties.
To use Turkish carnation in landscape design, it is not necessary to propagate the flower only in open ground. These perennial plants grow and thrive in pots and decorative urns that adorn the decks or porch of your country home.
If you dreamed of stealing your flower garden with elegant and unpretentious flower– your choice should fall on the perennial Turkish carnation. Growing a plant is not difficult, and the flowers will delight you with their appearance for a long time without frequent replanting. 
Diseases and pests
You need to take care of the flower, and be sure to fight pests and diseases. This plant is very vulnerable and has quite a lot of pests. In early spring, emerging leaves can be damaged by rodents. To prevent mice from gnawing leaves, mousetraps should be placed or poisoned grain should be scattered. In summer, the plant is often attacked by a dangerous pest - the root-knot nematode. If you notice deformed foliage, dull leaf color, swollen petioles, it means that the root-knot nematode has begun “its work.” The only way to save carnation plantings from this pest is to destroy diseased plants and disinfect the soil.
All parts of the plant can be affected by the dangerous fungal disease fusarium. Signs of this disease are withering of stems and death of plant parts. Bushes can become infected with fusarium from organic fertilizers, for example, through manure. This disease cannot be treated, and flower growers sometimes have to destroy entire flower beds. To prevent the appearance of fusarium, the soil in the flowerbed should be disinfected three times a summer with a weak solution of manganese. Very often flowers suffer from rust. If you notice swollen yellowish pads on the leaves, it means that the plants have been affected by rust. You can get rid of rust by treating the soil with a home spray. Carnations are constantly attacked by insect pests.
One of the most dangerous pests- Gorak elephant. The insect chews holes in the leaves of plants. The carnation can also be attacked by spider mites, which drink the juice from the leaves. Best ecological way getting rid of these pests is onion peeling. 100 grams of dry husk are brewed in 5 liters of boiling water and left for three days. The plants are sprayed with the infusion three times at intervals of five days. An unpretentious oriental beauty takes place of honor in our gardens and city flower beds. Beginners and experienced gardeners enjoy growing this flower, which can be the main decoration of any summer garden. The main qualities for which they are so highly valued oriental beauty- this is a huge palette of the most bright colors and rich color of inflorescences.
There are about 300 species of carnations in nature, and about a dozen have become widespread in floriculture. The scientific name of the genus - Dianthus - was given by the father of botany, Theophrastus. It comes from the Greek roots dios - god and anthos - “flower” and means “flower of the gods”. G. bearded (Dianthus barbatus) got its name thanks to the “beard” - ciliated bracts found on each flower. All together they stick out like a green brush until they are hidden by the blossoming flowers. The second name of the species sounds much more romantic - Turkish carnation.
It is a perennial, although not very long-lived. It is most often grown in the garden as biennial and even as an annual, planting ready seedlings.
Plant height is 30-70 cm depending on the variety. Whole line modern varieties are distinguished by their ability bloom in the year of sowing.
Blooms in mid-summer for about a month and longer if cut off faded stems in time. Old varieties form only a rosette of leaves in the first year, and bloom in the second year.
Modern varieties, acquiring new valuable characteristics, often, alas, lose their aroma.
In Victorian Britain, when it was not customary to talk openly about one's feelings. And for them secret expression The language of flowers was in use; the Turkish carnation symbolized gallantry. What did the Turkish carnation mean in the wedding bouquet of Kay Middleton, the chosen one of the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William? It's easy to answer this question if you know English. popular name flower - Sweet William - “sweet, gentle, sweet William.” The origin of the name is lost in the darkness of history.
In sunny weather, there is a lot of activity around the flowering plants: bees, bumblebees and butterflies fly to the fragrant cloud. No matter how many flowers there are around, they return to the Turkish carnation again and again, having made another circle in the garden. Here the butterflies linger for a long time, and you can clearly see the iridescent pattern of a peacock's eye or the graceful veins on the wings of lemongrass. Why waste time searching when each inflorescence contains up to 30 flowers and plenty of nectar in each flower tube! A constant winged accompaniment doubles the decorative effect of the flower garden.
The abundance of nectar and strong attractive smell make Turkish cloves irreplaceable in the butterfly beds and romantic scent garden, where it will successfully complement the fragrance of roses, jasmines, royal lilies, mirabilis and gillyflowers. Inhaling the spicy notes of a clove bouquet, you involuntarily plunge into the atmosphere of luxurious flower beds at the palaces of the East. Bright colors and exciting aroma perfectly inspire the creation of themed gardens with national flavor. However, cloves have long been valued not only in the East.
As an old garden plant, it is suitable for a Russian village front garden, a cottage garden, and a classic English mixborder. Unpretentiousness and simple care attract modern gardeners who do not have free time for the vagaries of overly demanding crops. It is planted in a group in a flower garden in the foreground, as a border, and in containers. Ideal conditions for Turkish carnations - in an ordinary garden bed, where it will bloom especially magnificently, delighting with color, aroma, and edible petals. Moreover, it will not do without her decorative vegetable garden! It would be appropriate to place Turkish cloves in the spice garden next to lavender, sage, thyme and lofant. In addition, thanks to the strong, erect, sufficiently long peduncles it is perfect for cutting. Carnations last a long time in bouquets - 11-18 days!
Trimming
Timely pruning of faded stems significantly prolongs flowering. Cutting the stems one by one with pruning shears is tedious if there are many flowers. The job will go faster with lightweight hedge trimmers. The inflorescences must be cut off as soon as they have lost fresh look without allowing seeds to set. This technique prolongs not only flowering, but also the life of the Turkish carnation bush itself, which, when regular pruning behaves like a completely durable perennial. By cutting the stems into bouquets at the height of flowering, you will at the same time rejuvenate the bush, thereby causing the formation of new flower stems. Trimming hedges with scissors is also convenient for others, but only once flowering species carnations, such as carnation grass, g. pinnate, g. sandy.
Reproduces Turkish cloves by seeds, dividing the bush. Layerings and cuttings. Before frost, young plants must have time to take root well after transplanting to a permanent place, so it should be done no later than August.
The strong, knotty stems of cloves do not require garter.
Long life of the bouquet
Because others garden flowers As a rule, they wither faster when cut than Turkish cloves; it is advisable to select equally hardy plants to accompany them. Then the whole bouquet will delight the eye for a long time. The competition for durability in a vase is easily withstood by the lilac, lilac, pink and greenish caps of garden hydrangea and the yellow-green openwork inflorescences of the cuff, with which any variety of Turkish carnation is perfectly combined. Regarding application special means, preserving the freshness of cut flowers, they did not have a noticeable effect in experiments on Turkish carnation; the flowers retained their fresh appearance on average only 1 day longer. By the way, garden hydrangea and cuff are worthy partners for the Turkish carnation not only in a vase, but also in a flower garden.
How to grow
Turkish carnation is unpretentious, drought-resistant and quite winter-hardy. In a sunny place it can survive even next to the roots of tall bushes and trees.
A randomly planted seed can germinate in the very unexpected place, demonstrating a rare love of life. However, the carnation reaches its peak “form” on well-processed garden soil. Compete with rhizomes perennial weeds It is difficult for the plant due to its short stature and weak root system. Therefore, the soil must be carefully prepared before planting. Annual weeds colonized by seeds not only intercept food, but also spoil the appearance of the flower garden. Mulching with organic material helps to easily cope with this problem. Perhaps the most accessible type of mulch in the garden is rotted leaves. Compost will additionally act as fertilizer. Mulching before winter increases frost resistance. It should. However, be aware that in damp areas this procedure will aggravate the problems. Caused by poor drainage. For cloves, such excessive moisture is detrimental. Therefore, it is important to choose a place for planting that is not only sunny, but also with good drainage.
Contrary to the generally accepted opinion that the Turkish carnation is just a biennial and there is no point in preserving it after flowering, this plant is capable of more. To do this, he only needs a little help. By the end of summer, the carnation bushes are overgrown with shoots spreading from the center to the sides with bunches of large leaves on the tops. If you sprinkle most of these shoots with compost so that they have time to take root before frost, then next year they will turn into new flowering bushes with the same large inflorescences. So in one place, only moving slightly to the side, a motley Turkish carpet can remain for several years, constantly being renewed.
Based on materials from the magazine “My Beautiful Garden”