Carnations are a type of flowering plant belonging to the Dianthus genus. They are popular and widely cultivated for their beautiful and long-lasting flowers. There are hundreds of different cultivars, hybrids, and types of carnations.
From bright and showy Dianthus caryophyllus to miniature Dianthus microlepis, there are so many different types of carnations that work in any garden or floral arrangement. They are popular and widely cultivated for their beautiful, long-lasting, and sweetly fragranced flowers.
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In this article:
What Are Some Different Types of Carnations?
In this guide, we will introduce you to 50 different types of carnations that look great in any garden or bouquet, such as:
- Dianthus caryophylus
- Dianthus micropolis
- Dianthus knapii
- Dianthus chinensis
- …and dozens more
50 Types of Carnations
1. Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William)
Sweet William features small, fringed flowers in densely packed clusters with a sweet fragrance. It comes in various shades of red, maroon, and pink, often with contrasting edges and centers.
2. Dianthus caryophyllus (Carnation)
Dianthus caryophyllus is the “typical” carnation when you think of carnations. They feature fragrant, loosely tufted blooms in a variety of different colors with long stems that make for great cut flowers.
3. Dianthus deltoides (Maiden Pink)
Maiden Pink features prolific, heavily fringed flowers that cover the foliage mound with a beautiful fragrance. They come in deep pink with a dark spotted band at the base of the petals.
4. Dianthus gratianopolitanus (Cheddar Pink)
True to its name, Cheddar pink features bright rose pink flowers with fringed petals atop wiry stems. The cheery flowers sit atop grassy, grey-green foliage and bloom in late spring through summer.
5. Dianthus proudus (Large Pink)
Dianthus proudus produces delicate lilac to white feathery flowers that fill the air with a sweet fragrance. They bloom from spring to summer and prefer full sun with rich, well-drained soil.
6. Dianthus plumarius (Garden Pink)
Dianthus plumaris, also known as Garden pink, features spicy, clove-scented blooms with ruffled and fringed petals in shades of pink, red, and white. They bloom from May through August.
7. Dianthus chinensis (Chinese Pink)
A highly popular variety, Chinese pink features colorful blooms with heavily fringed petals and a dark central eye. They bloom for a long time, from late spring throughout summer, making them a perfect addition to your garden.
8. Dianthus alpinus (Alpine Pink)
A true high-elevation variety of dianthus, alpine pink grows in a low cushion of bright green grassy leaves. It features large, wheel-shaped flowers in shades of soft to deep pink or salmon that have a sweet fragrance.
9. Dianthus arenarius (Sand Pink)
Dianthus arenarius produces an abundance of fragrant, one-inch white flowers with highly fringed petals. It features bright green foliage that takes on red to purple highlights as it matures.
10. Dianthus armeria (Deptford Pink)
Dianthus armeria features brightly colored flowers in shades of pink and purple with little to no fragrance. It gets its name from the town of Deptford, England, where the plant once grew in abundance.
11. Dianthus carthusianorum (Carthusian Pink)
Dianthus carthusianorum, also known as Clusterhead pink, has been grown in Europe for centuries. It features tall, wiry stems with clusters of brilliant magenta flowers, which lends it a relaxed, wild-flower look.
12. Dianthus microlepis (Miniature Pink)
Dianthus microlepis, also called Miniature pink, features very small, light pink flowers, each only about three-eighths of an inch wide. These tiny flowers bloom from spring to early summer.
13. Dianthus knappii (Yellow Pink)
A beautiful and popular variety, Dianthus knappi features a unique yellow color that appears paler in the summer heat and darker in cooler weather. It also features blue-green grassy foliage.
14. Dianthus seguieri (Seuier’s Pink)
Seuier’s pink features green lanceolate leaves and beautiful, fringed pink flowers with purple markings in the center. It has a long flowering period, from June through September.
15. Dianthus monspessulanus (Southern Pink)
This perfumed flower grows in a mat of fine, grass-like foliage with beautiful pale lavender or pink flowers with fringed petals. They feature a delicious fragrance that can even be detected from quite far away.
16. Dianthus furcatus (Forked Pink)
Hailing from the mountains of southwestern Europe, Dianthus furcatus features small flowers, just a half inch across in pink or white. It produces a plethora of blooms from June to August.
17. Dianthus giganteus (Giant Pink)
True to its name and the tallest Dianthus variety in the world, Giant Pink grows up to three feet tall. It features small pink flowers that appear in long-lasting clusters on grey-green stems.
18. Dianthus japonicus (Japanese Pink)
Native to Japan, Dianthus japonicus features lush rosettes of thick and glossy leaves topped with clusters of rosy-purple, five-petalled blooms. It blooms from midsummer through fall.
19. Dianthus pavonius (Peacock Pink)
Dianthus pavonius, also called peacock-eye pink or grass rose pink, grows to only two to four inches tall. It features dark blue-green leaves and fragrant pink flowers that are buff-colored on the opposite side of the petals.
20. Dianthus serotinus (Late Pink)
Photo: Kew Royal Botanic Gardens
Dianthus serotinus, also called Late pink or Late carnation, blooms from June to October. It features beautiful frilled white flowers, grows as a short and woody plant, and prefers sandy soils.
21. Dianthus freynii (Freyn’s Pink)
Native to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, Dianthus freynii features thin, grey-green foliage. Similar to Dianthus glacius in nearly every way, Freyn’s pink blooms with small pink flowers less than an inch across.
A garden favorite, Superstar Dianthus features masses of clove-scented cherry red blossoms adorned with white and pink markings. Its foliage consists of grassy, silver-green leaves.
23. Dianthus callizonus (Fringed Pink)
Dianthus callizonus features mounds of short, glossy-green leaves with pink flowers with a central ring of dark dots. It is native to limestone rocks in the Romanian mountains and is not easy to grow as it requires very specific conditions.
24. Dianthus broteroi (Brotero’s Pink)
Dianthus broteroi, also known as Brotero’s pink, blooms from June to August and grows up to two feet tall. Endemic to southern Portugal and southern Spain, it features beautiful white to pink flowers.
25. Dianthus cruentus (Blood Pink)
Photo: Diane’s Flower Seeds
A rare species native to Turkey, DIanthus cruentus features clusters of deep crimson-red flowers that bloom in Jun. It grows blue-green, grass-like foliage that reaches almost two feet tall.
26. Dianthus gallicus (Gallic Pink)
Dianthus gallicus, also called Gallic pink, features bluish-green, lance-shaped leaves. Each plant produces one to two small pink flowers that emit a strong scent and bloom in mid-spring.
27. Dianthus giganteiformis (Giant Pink)
Source: Hortipedia
Native to Hungary to Ukraine, Dianthus giganteiformis grows as a short shrub primarily in the temperate biome. Also known as Giant pink, it features clusters of pink to purple flowers.
28. Dianthus lusitanus (Portuguese Pink)
Dianthus lusitanus features erect stems and grassy leaves, growing up to 15 inches tall. It blooms with pink to purple flowers that are solitary or grouped in pairs at the end of the stems.
Source: Bluestone Perrenials
Dianthus Pinball Wizard features white flowers with splatters with dark pink flecks and striping for the most beautiful effect. It has silver-blue foliage and emits a sweet clove scent.
30. Dianthus sylvestris (Woodland Pink)
Dianthus sylvestris was first discoverd by Franz Xavier von Wulfen in 1786. It features grey-green foliage and pale purplish pink flowers with slight fringing that blooms from June to August.
31. Dianthus x allwoodii (Allwood’s Pink)
Bred in the 1920s, this hybrid was created by crossing D. plumarius, the cottage pink, with D. caryophylus, the typical carnation. The resulting hybrid is three feet wide and eight inches tall with double flowers in a light pink with a sweet fragrance.
Dianthus Neon Star produces masses of single, frilly flowers up to one-and-a-half inches across each. Blooming from late spring to late summer, it sits atop grassy green-blue foliage.
33. Dianthus ‘Everlast Lavender Lace’
Source: Nana’s Bloomers
Everlast Lavender Lace Dianthus features midsized plants with fragrant, raspberry-colored flowers with lavender edges. This variety blooms in spring, again in summer, and even once again in the fall.
34. Dianthus chinensis x barbatus
A blend between the chinesis and barbatus, this plant features five-petaled flowers in several colors. It thrives in full to part sun and features sweetly fragrant and profuse blooms.
Photo: Missouri Botanical Garden
The Laced Romeo Dianthus features deep red flowers fringed with creamy white and long, needle-like, green-blue foliage as a backdrop. The plant grows 15 to 20 inches tall and is perfect for any garden.
Photo: NatureHills.com
Dianthus Coconut Punch adds some “punch” to your garden with fragrant double blooms in a deep-red color marked with white blotches on the outer edges. It features grey-green foliage that forms a grassy-looking clump.
37. Dianthus Georgia Peach Pie
Photo: Annie’s Annuals
Dianthus Georgia Peach Pie produces numerous two-inch light peachy-pink frilled flowers with a vibrant raspberry ring in the center. It features a spicy fragrance and compact blue-green foliage.
Hailing from the mountains in South Africa, Dianthus basuticus features beautiful pink flowers that sit on sprawling mats of green foliage. A hardy plant that prefers full sun to part shade, it blooms from May to June.
39. Dianthus repens
Dianthus repens is a mat-forming species that features small and straight leaves in a charming greyish-green. It produces pink to purple flowers with small, rounded petals a half-inch wide.
40. Dianthus acicularis (Needle Pink)
Found mostly in eastern European Russia and western Diberia, Dianthus acicularis is also called Needle-flowered pink due to its highly fringed pink flowers. It grows as a short shrub, primarily in temperate locations.
42. Dianthus bolusii (Cape Pink)
Indigenous to the Northern Cape of South Africa, Dianthus bolusii occurs on sandstone slopes. It features cream to dark purple flowers and blue-grey leaves that form dense clumps near the ground.
Dianthus glaciallis features Fragrant, white-throated, pink flowers on very short stems with compact cushions of green leaves. A rare variety of Dianthus, it thrives at elevations of up to 10,000 feet.
Native to Central France, Dianthus graniticus features small, pale purplish-pink flowers from June to August. The plant grows on small clumps of foliage that are needle-thin and steel-grey.
Dianthus micropetalus features a woody, shortly branched base that grows in clumps. It features a few solitary flowers in creamy white or pale purple-pink with fringed edges and a slight recurve.
46. Dianthus myrtinervius (Albanian Pink)
Dianthus myrtinervius, also called Albanian Pink, features bright green and dense, mat-forming foliage. It produces profuse, deep-pink flowers with a pale center eye in the summer months.
47. Dianthus nitidus
Discovered in 1805, Dianthus nitidus produces a plethora of pale purplish pink many-petaled flowers in July and August. Native to the Western Carpathian Mountains, it prefers sun and moderately moist soil.
48. Dianthus petraeus (Rock Pink)
Dianthus petraeus, also called Rock Pink, features fine deep green foliage that forms rounded mounds. In late spring to summer, it produces white feathery flowers that are intensely fragrant.
49. Dianthus pungens
Native to France and Spain, Dianthus pungens grows as a small shrub that reaches just two inches in height and prefers full sun to partial shade. It features showy pink to purple flowers and bright green foliage.
Dianthus Greystone features vigorous plants that spread out to four feet wide that thrive on slopes or riverbanks. It produces white, fringed, extra-fragrant flowers and blue-gray foliage.
Additional Questions about Various Types of Carnations
What are the most popular types of carnations?
Carnations are an extremely popular flower grown for their long-lasting flowers and sweet fragrance. Some of the most popular types of carnations include:
- Dianthus caryophylus: This is the variety that you typically think of when you hear carnation. It features tight rosettes of petals in a wide variety of colors.
- Dianthus chinensis: Hailing from China, this variety features colorful, long-lasting blooms with heavily fringed petals and a dark central eye.
- Dianthus barbatus: Also known as Sweet William, this variety is prized for its densely packed clusters of small flowers that bloom from late spring to the first frost.
What is the scientific name for carnations?
Carnation is a common name that refers to flowers in the Dianthus genus. There are about 350 species of Dianthus in the family Caryophyllaceae. They are native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species in North America and Africa.
Are carnations easy to grow and maintain?
Most dianthus flowers are easy to grow. They thrive when given plenty of sun, but they don’t like the hot sun of mid-summer. One easy tip to keep in mind is to deadhead the plants after their first bloom to ensure a second bloom later in their growing season.
