Marianne's Response

Dianthus Falling Down

I purchased and planted 5 Dianthus about a month ago – late April. 2 American Cherry Pue and 3 Scent First Passion. They are planted in full to part sun in front of our porch. The Cherry Pies are on either end of the row with the 3 Scent First planted in the middle. They’ve been watered consistently but are planted in clay soil with topsoil mixed in and it may not drain very well. One Cherry Pie is doing extremely well but the other Cherry Pie isn’t flourishing as well and all 3 Scent Firsts are falling over. Concerned about root rot but wouldn’t that affect all 5, not just 3 or 4? The Scent Firsts don’t appear to be dying, just flopped over as if top heavy. Please advise how to diagnose and treat the problem.

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Posted by Lindsay Patterson on May 26, 2022

Marianne's Response

Some of the flopping of those stems is from the transplant shock and perhaps the wet soil. The dianthus family prefers really well drained soil in a rockery. You mentioned clay soil and I think you should consider moving them to a raised bed or some other spot where you can add topsoil or make a berm for better drainage. The other thing to consider is that once the dianthus have bloomed you need to cut back the flowering stems to tidy up the plants. The stems to tend to flop after flowering. It may be true that one variety is less prone to the flop than others but unless dianthus gets sun and great drainage they will continue to grow soft and floppy. Go ahead and cut the plants back once the flowers fade and see it they improve. If not, make a move. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti

Marianne's Response

Dianthus Falling Down

Marianne's Response

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