Carnations

Of the several kinds of Carnations, the three most common are annual carnations, border carnations and perpetual-flowering carnations. Carnations are also commonly referred to by their scientific name, "Dianthus", the name given by the Greek botanist Theopharastus. Carnations got the name Dianthus from two Greek Words - "dios", referring to the god Zeus, and "anthos", meaning flower. Carnations are thus "The Flowers of God".

Carnations - Meanings
Another reason why carnations have become popular is because they come in numerous colors and each color of carnation has a different meaning. Some of these meanings are listed below:
  • Carnations in general--Fascination, Woman's Love
  • Pink Carnations--Mother's Love
  • Light red Carnations--Admiration
  • Dark red Carnations--Deep Love and Woman's Affection
  • White Carnations--Pure Love and Good Luck
  • Striped Carnations--Regret, Refusal
  • Green Carnations--St. Patrick's Day
  • Purple Carnations--Capriciousness
  • Green Carnations--St. Patrick's Day
  • Yellow Carnation--Disappointment, Dejection
Growing Carnations
  • Carnations grow readily from cuttings made of the suckers that form around the base of the stem, the side shoots of the flowering stem, or the main shoots before they show flower-buds.
  • The cuttings from the base make the best plants in most cases.
  • These cuttings may be taken from a plant at any time through the fall or winter, rooted in sand and potted up.
  • They may be put in pots until the planting out time in the spring, which is usually in April, or any time when the ground is ready to handle.
  • The soil should be deep friable and sandy loam.
Carnation Plant Care
  • Carnations need some hours of full sun each day and should be kept moist.
  • Avoid over-watering as it may tend to turn the foliage yellow.
  • Spent flowers should be removed promptly to promote continued blooming.
  • Quality of the bloom rests on the soil and irrigation aspects for growing carnations.
  • Those who grow carnations should know the importance of pinching, stopping and disbudding.
  • At the time of plucking the carnations, leave three to four nodes at the base and remove the stem.
  • The plant foliage should not be exposed to the direct heat of a stove or the sun.

Information provided by: theflowerexpert.com