Pinks, pinks and pinks

Chinese Pinks, also popularly known as Indian Pinks or Japanese Pinks are a free blooming variety of plants originated in Eastern Asia. The scientific name of these plants is Dianthus chinensis or Dianthus sinensis. The pinks are excellent for beds, borders, edgings, rock gardens, pots and cut flowers.

The Dianthus chinensis varieties are specially suitable for borders, Dianthus heddewigii for bedding and edging, Dianthus lacinatus for rockery and bedding and the hardy perennial pinks ianthus plumerius, Dianthus allwoodi, Dianthus winteri, etc.) for rock gardens and edging.

Chinese Pinks bear brilliantly colored large delightfully fragrant flowers. The Chinese Pink flowers may be self-coloredexquisitely marked, edged, blotched, spotted, or eyed with contrasting colors. In some, the flowers have finely fringed petals. There are also varieties producing blooms in clusters on upright and strong stems. The name pinks doesn't imply only pink colored flowers. They come in a wide variety of colors viz., pink, rose, scarlet, red, crimson, and so forth.

The pinks are propagated by seeds. They flourish well in sunny to part shady, moderately dry, well-drained, organic-rich soil. A very ornamental plant, it is usually biennial in habit, but can be a short-lived perennial.

The Chinese pinks have high medicinal value. They have been used for over 2,000 years in Chinese herbal medicine. The whole plant is a bitter tonic herb that stimulates the digestive and urinary systems and also the bowels. It is also anthelmintic, antibacterial, antiphlogistic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge and haemostatic. It is used internally in the treatment of acute urinary tract infections (especially cystitis), urinary stones, constipation, failure to menstruate and many other physiological aberrations and dysfunctions.

The year 2004 was celebrated by the National Garden Bureau as the Year of the Dianthus. Read more about this from Colorado State University article.