Dianthus armeria – Deptford Pink

Deptford Pink is an attractive plant with bright pink flowers speckled with both darker and paler spots. It is our only native pink with flowers in heads surrounded by long narrow sepal-like bracts. The same is true of Sweet William, which can often be found as a garden escape, but it is hairless and has more conspicuous flowers. Flowering is from June to late August.

Habitat Information
Deptford Pink is a native annual or short-lived perennial found on open, disturbed sites such as short pastures, field margins and roadsides. It prefers dry, mildly basic soils, but has been recorded on fen-peat.

A marked decline was apparent before 1930 and this has continued, with most losses due to the conversion of pasture to arable or buildings, or from a lack of open areas at its remaining sites. Our collection is an example of this decline. Collected many years ago from a site near Woodwalton fen it is now extinct in the county of Cambridgeshire.

Growing Information
Easily grown from seed sown at any time of the year.