The most cold-hardy potted flower, can be grown outdoors even in Northeast China, plant once and it blooms every year, with a flowering period of up to half a year

Introduction

Potted green plants are essential decorative items for home life. Keeping some flowers and plants at home has many benefits: it beautifies the home and pleases the mood. "Huasheng Potted Plant Diary, Issue 1181" takes you to meet one of the most cold-hardy ornamental flowers.

Today's featured plant

When introducing other flowers in the past, there were always gardening friends who would ask: Is this flower cold-hardy? My home is in the north, can it survive the winter? Unfortunately, most herbaceous flowers cannot survive the winter when grown outdoors in northern regions. Even the purslane, known as the "unkillable" plant, will die in the northern winter. The flower introduced today is an exception. This flower is called Dianthus barbatus, and it not only has brilliant flower colors but is also extremely cold-hardy, making it suitable for gardening friends in the north.

Dianthus barbatus

Dianthus barbatus, also known as bearded pink, ten-sample brocade, and other names, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Northeast China and widely distributed throughout China. The plant is low-growing and compact, only about 30 cm tall, with many branches and numerous flowers gathered into heads, with several leaf-like involucral bracts. Each petal has more than two colors, mainly in the red range, dazzling and eye-catching. Whether as a single flower or planted in groups, it has high ornamental value.

Long flowering period

Dianthus barbatus has a low-growing plant form, stems resembling bamboo, and lush green foliage. It is itself an excellent foliage plant, and with its beautiful flowers, it is undoubtedly the icing on the cake. Its natural flowering period can last from late spring to late autumn, with an ornamental period as long as half a year. If grown indoors in a pot, with sufficient temperature and ample light, it can bloom all year round. The author's home is in South China, and the flower beds in the park downstairs are full of Dianthus barbatus. It has been blooming from the Spring Festival until now.

Potted Dianthus barbatus

As mentioned earlier, Dianthus barbatus is native to Northeast China and is extremely cold-hardy. In winter it can endure lows of more than minus 30 degrees, and in the second spring it will grow again. Its vitality is very tenacious, like wild grass that cannot be burned away by wildfire and grows again with the spring wind. Growing it in a pot is even easier. It likes sunny, dry, and ventilated conditions, and fertile loam with good drainage. It is generally propagated by sowing, and the difficulty of care is about the same as that of pothos and spider plant.

Easy to bloom into a full pot

Dianthus barbatus has a large flower quantity, blooming in a big patch at a time, with buds constantly appearing. When one flower fades, a new one opens immediately. After the flowers fade, it also produces seeds, and its self-sowing ability is strong. The pot of flowers in the picture above was grown from only two seeds sown, and in one year it grew into a full pot. Its reproductive ability is super strong, and it is very suitable for cultivation in courtyards as ground cover. It has a long flowering period and is cold-hardy, so it does not need to be moved indoors in winter. It is perennial, plant once and enjoy flowers every year. It is worth having.