When it arrives
Your plug tray
Plugs are small and tender. Pot into 4-inch pots and grow on 3–5 weeks in bright light, or plant out after frost. Keep evenly moist, harden off a week, and set the plug top level with the soil.
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Real dishes from our Field Notes recipes, shared by the people who made them.
Paint the Town Red grown by our community
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- Mature height
- 8.0 in
- Mature spread
- 18.0 in
- Bloom
- Early-June – peak Mid-June
- Fragrance
- Mild
- Deer
- Moderately resistant
Lavender companion · grow guide
How to grow Paint the Town Red
Pinks (Dianthus) · Dianthus
Give pinks full sun and lean, gritty, fast-draining soil. Keep mulch away from the crown, shear after bloom, and they'll reward you with fragrant flowers and silvery foliage.
Check my zone & planting dates
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Full sunLight
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Low waterFast drainage
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pH 6.5–8.0Soil
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Zones 4a–9bHardiness
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8″ tall18″ wide
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Some resistanceDeer · rabbits susceptible
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Mildly toxicPets
Huckleberry saysTell me where you grow and I’ll check if Paint the Town Red will thrive there.
Hardy in zones 4a–9b
Spring after hard frost, or late summer to early fall.
Your year with Paint the Town Red
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When to plant
Spring after hard frost, or late summer to early fall.
How deep
Set the crown exactly level with the soil; never bury the stems.
Spacing
8–12 inches for most border pinks.
Soil
Sandy, gravelly or loam · pH 6.5–8.0
Fix-it tip: Wet crowns rot. Mix grit or pea gravel into clay, plant on a slight mound, and use gravel mulch, not bark. Pinks prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soil; add lime only if a soil test shows acid soil.
Sun
Full sun (tolerates light afternoon shade in hot climates).
Less than 6 hours of sun means sparse blooms and open, floppy mats.
Don’t give up on it
Is it alive? What spring looks like
Most keep blue-gray or green evergreen tufts through winter, so they never look fully dormant. Some leaves may look brown in early spring; new growth starts as soon as soil thaws. Main bloom is late spring to early summer.
Spring
Tidy dead leaves; light feed.
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Summer
Shear after first bloom for rebloom.
Fall
Leave foliage; keep leaves from piling on crowns.
Winter
No mulch over the crown.
Watering
First season: Water when the top inch is dry for the first 6–8 weeks.
After that: Drought tolerant; water only in long dry spells.
Feeding
Light. A little balanced slow-release fertilizer or compost in spring is plenty.
Pruning & deadheading
Shear off spent flowers just above the foliage after the first flush to encourage rebloom. Don't cut the evergreen foliage back in fall.
Dividing
Every 2–4 years when centers open up; divide in spring or take cuttings.
Winter
Hardy to about zone 3–5 depending on type. Winter wet is the main threat. Avoid heavy mulch over the foliage.
Summer heat
Some types melt in hot, humid summers. Good airflow and drainage help.
Center turns brown and dies
Likely cause: Crown rot or old clump
What to do: Improve drainage, remove mulch, and divide or replace.
No rebloom
Likely cause: Spent flowers left on
What to do: Shear flowers off right after the first flush.
Leaves nibbled to the ground
Likely cause: Rabbits
What to do: Use a fence or repellent; rabbits like pinks.
Leaves collapse in humid summer
Likely cause: Heat plus wet foliage
What to do: Water at the base in the morning and give more airflow.
Too wet or too dry?
Mushy, brown centers or leaves turning tan from the inside out mean too wet.
Watch for
- Crown and root rot in wet soil
- Rust and leaf spot
- Aphids
- Slugs
Pets & wildlife
ASPCA lists carnation/pinks (Dianthus) as toxic to dogs, cats and horses: mild stomach upset and skin irritation.
Deer: somewhat resistant · Rabbits: susceptible
Finnegan saysStill not sure what’s wrong? Ask Plant Health — describe it or add a photo.
In a container
Good in pots · 1 gallon+
Excellent in pots, troughs and rock gardens with gritty, fast-draining mix.
Indoors
Outdoor plant
Needs full sun and a cool winter outdoors.
Winter chill
Best after a cold winter
Many pinks bloom more fully after winter cold, though some types flower the first year.
Growing it on
Plugs from the tray
3–4 inch pots for 3–5 weeks, until roots hold the soil
Garden bed or a 1 gallon pot
Time to move up? Slide the plant out: if white roots wrap the outside of the soil, it’s ready for the next size.
Planting with lavender
Plant it right alongside lavender
A classic pairing. Both want full sun, lean gritty soil and dry crowns, and low pinks edge the front of a lavender bed with matching gray foliage.
Same bedNearbyIts own area
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