Overview

Dianthus 'Purple Pacal' (pf) is a bushy herbaceous perennial in the genus Dianthus, part of the Caryophyllaceae family, with evergreen foliage. Dianthus 'Purple Pacal' (pf) grows best in full sun, and tolerates most soils and any pH. Its UK hardiness is rated H6. Suggested uses include gravel garden, city and courtyard gardens, coastal, cottage and informal garden, patio and container plants, rock garden, low maintenance, wall side borders, banks and slopes, cut flowers, flower borders and beds and underplanting of roses and shrubs.

About

Dianthus 'Purple Pacal' is an herbaceous perennial in the Caryophyllaceae with evergreen foliage and a well-branched habit, flowering from May to September. It favours full sun and freely draining soil, and tolerates sandy, loamy or clay substrates across a wide pH range. Rated H6, it stands up to cold UK winters. Use it in containers, gravel or rock gardens and for underplanting roses and shrubs.

About the genus

Dianthus is a genus of about 340 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species in northern and southern Africa, and one species (D. repens) in arctic North America. Common names include carnation (D.

Wikipedia contributors, "Dianthus", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Dianthus

In the garden

Dianthus 'Purple Pacal' is a cultivar of Dianthus (family Caryophyllaceae) kept for its evergreen foliage and extended flowering season from May to September. The plant forms a well-branched, compact mound of foliage that provides structure outside the flowering months and produces stems suitable for cutting during summer. Plant it in full sun on soils that drain freely; it will grow in sandy, loamy or clay soils so long as drainage is not poor. Soil pH can be acid, neutral or alkaline, and it prefers conditions described as well-drained to moist but well-drained. Situate where it receives south-, west- or east-facing light and where exposure may be either sheltered or open, and expect winter survival consistent with an H6 rating (very hardy in UK conditions). Its uses include gravel and rock gardens, patio containers, wall-side borders, banks, slopes and underplanting of larger shrubs or roses; it also suits city courtyards and coastal sites. Because it is evergreen and flowers from May through September, it supplies summer stems for flower borders and for cutting into bouquets.

Growing conditions

Best soil and position for Dianthus

Sunlight

Full sun

Soil type

Sandy, Loamy, Clay

Soil pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

Soil moisture

Well-drained, Moist but well-drained

Aspect

South-facing, West-facing, East-facing

Exposure

Exposed, Sheltered

UK hardiness

H6

Plant details

Dianthus 'Purple Pacal' (pf) size, habit and characteristics

Plant type

Herbaceous Perennial

Habit

Bushy

Foliage

Evergreen

Suggested uses

Gravel garden, City and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Rock garden, Low Maintenance, Wall side borders, Banks and slopes, Cut flowers, Flower borders and beds, Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Care notes

Pruning and caring for Dianthus 'Purple Pacal' (pf)

Propagation

Softwood cuttings of non-flowering shoots in summer,Layering after flowering

Pest resistance

Slugs,Aphids

Disease resistance

Powdery mildews,Rust,Fusarium wilt

Frequently asked questions

More in the Dianthus genus

• 
  Dianthus 'Coronation'Carnation
• 
  Dianthus 'Mrs Sinkins'
• 
  Dianthus 'Thomas'Carnation
• 
  Dianthus caryophyllus 'Wesever'PBRCarnation
• 
  Dianthus fruticosus subsp. carpathus
• 
  Dianthus sp. (coll. Romania)
• Dianthus 'Bat's Double Red'
• Dianthus 'Brympton Red'Pink