Journal September 16, 2012

When I opened the greenhouse this morning I found that one of the Carnation plants had bloomed.  Not only is the flower beautiful, it has a delightful fragrance as well.  That was one of the reasons that I planted Carnations; for the fragrance.

The flower shown above is a Chabaud, and I currently have four other Carnation cultivars started.  My plan is to cross pollinate the different varieties, collect the seeds, and see what grows when the crosses are planted.

Having always thought that Carnations would be difficult to grow, I had not tried them, until now. As it has turned out, they are among the easiest plants I have yet grown in pots.

So far, two of the varieties are bushy, and two are upright, slender and require staking.  I have just started seed for a dwarf variety and will throw them into the cross pollinating mix as well.