Getting In The Pink!

There are some great new dianthus to try, says Peter

- Peter Seabrook

One of the perks to my job is the opportunity to visit specialists in the cultivation of specific groups of plants, and benefit from their experience and knowledge, when such visits are possible. It gives considerable pleasure to see plants grown well and very much flourishing.

I recall a trip to world-famous dianthus breeders Whetman Pinks in Dawlish, Devon, which was established in 1936. The nursery is sited at the base of a deep valley with a trout stream running through the centre. Fork-lift trucks full of rooted cuttings and young plants literally have to drive through the stream to load dispatch vehicles.