Cold-hardy potted flowers that can be grown even in the north - easy to grow, beautiful and fragrant

Intro

Green potted plants are essential decorative touches for home life. Keeping some flowers and plants at home has many benefits - it beautifies the room and lifts your mood. "Flower Voice Potted Plant Diary, Issue 1398" introduces you to an extremely cold-hardy flower.

Today's star

In previous issues we introduced many beautiful ornamental plants - begonia maculata, Eustoma grandiflorum (lisianthus), Gypsophila paniculata (baby's breath), and so on - most of them tropical plants that are not cold-hardy and cannot be kept in the north in winter. Today's star is called Xiangshizhu (Dianthus caryophyllus, carnation), with high ornamental value and strong cold resistance, and it can be grown in the north too.

Carnation

Xiangshizhu, or carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus), is a perennial herbaceous flower of the family Caryophyllaceae and genus Dianthus. It gets its name because its flowers are fragrant. The flowers are double and large, and it is also known by the alias carnation. It originated in southern Europe and is now widely cultivated around the world. It has been introduced in both southern and northern China, and is often used for beautifying flower borders and for home potted ornamental display.

Excellent cold hardiness

Carnation has many artificially bred horticultural varieties, developed specifically for ornamental and cut-flower use. It belongs to the same family and species as the common wildflower Dianthus in China, and has the advantages of cold resistance, heat resistance and tolerance of poor soil. In winter it can withstand frost and snow at low temperatures, and in northern regions it can also overwinter in the open ground, growing again the following spring.

Super easy to grow

Carnation is generally propagated by sowing, division and cuttings. Indoors in pots, it can be done in all four seasons; for field planting, spring and autumn are best. The potting medium should have good drainage and be rich in organic matter, and the growing environment should have plenty of sunlight. It will survive almost as soon as it is put in soil, with no special care needed. It is not fussy - water thoroughly when dry, and leave it alone when not dry. It is a very easy flower to grow.

Beautiful and fragrant

Carnation comes in rich and varied flower colors, including white, red, yellow, edged bicolor and so on. Its flower shape is close to that of a rose, giving it high ornamental value. The fragrance is rich and pleasant. It generally blooms from spring to autumn, and the flowering period is very long - a single bloom can last for several months. It is well worth having.