A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Carnations
Having beautiful carnations in your yard or patio is easier than you think. The main ingredients you need are time, willingness to learn, and patience. While you might not have a green thumb naturally, you can certainly learn all you need to know about growing carnations successfully. It is very rewarding when your hard work in the garden pays off, and your flowers start to bloom. If you’ve never grown carnations or any other flowers for that matter, it’s never too late to give it a shot.
In this article, we are going to give you the basics you need to know about growing carnations:
* Background on carnations
* Getting started with growing carnations
* Taking care of your plants
* Flower delivery service
Background on Carnations
Carnations are a large group of flowering plants that fall under the genus Dianthus. This name means “the flowers of God” in Greek. It came from the Greek botanist Theophrastus. Carnations are symbolic of the divine and a mother’s love in various religions and cultures. The most common types of carnations are annual carnations, border carnations, and perpetual-flowering carnations.
Flowers belonging to the family of carnations appear naturally in a range of colors, including shades of red, pink, purple, yellow, white, and even green. Each color flower is associated with something specific. For example, pink carnations are associated with a mother’s love, while red carnations are associated with admiration through to deep love as the color darkens. Yellow variations stir up feelings of dejection and disappointment, while white ones are symbolic of good luck and pure love. As you might have guessed, green carnations are associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Striped variations are commonly linked to regret or refusal, while the purple ones are associated with capriciousness.
Carnations are native to Eurasia. In the past, they found one of their first uses in garlands made by the Greeks and Romans. As with many flowers, the popularity and cultivation of carnations have since spread around the world. Australia, for example, started growing these once exotic blooms commercially as far back as 1954. Because of the links between carnations in general and a mother’s love, they are one of the top picks for Mother’s Day celebrations.
In terms of their appearance, carnations are composed of a single flower with five petals. The border carnation cultivars are an exception to this, and these may have double flowers with up to 40 petals on them. Petals on a carnation are usually clawed or serrated. The stems of the plant are straight, the leaves narrow, and the blooms full and strong.
Getting Started with Growing Carnations
Carnations can be grown from seeds. Before you get started, you should choose the right outside spot. Ideally, you want somewhere with at least 4 hours of sunlight each day. These plants grow best in soil with good drainage and without mulch. To get the best of the growing season, you can plan to plant your carnation seeds indoors about 6-8 weeks before your chosen spot is expected to be frost-free after the winter.
To get started with seedling preparation, find a container with drainage holes in it, and fill it with potting soil until you are about an inch or two from the top. The next thing you have to do is sprinkle the seeds on the top of the soil and then cover them lightly with some more soil.
Every type of plant needs the right amount of water for it to grow well. When growing carnations, water the soil until it is just moist. After that, you can wrap the container in a clear plastic bag. Doing this traps heat and moisture in the plant’s surrounding area and is one of the reasons why greenhouses are effective. It only takes a couple of days for the carnation seeds to start germinating. This quick growth is perfect for beginners because it’s natural to wonder if you did everything right and if you are going to see any signs of life anytime soon.
Once the seedlings have at least two or three leaves each, you can move them to their own pots. Continue to water and tend to the seedlings indoors until they have grown to a height of
4 or 5 inches. At this stage, it is now safe to transplant the seedlings outdoors, provided there is no more frost in your area.
For beginners and growers hoping to see blooms in the first year, we recommend this method of starting with indoor seedlings. An alternative method is to plant the seeds directly into the ground outside. With this method, your plants are not likely to bloom in the year of planting.
Taking Care of Your Plants
Looking after your carnations is not difficult at all. They don’t need much water, so it’s enough to water them once a week. We recommend that you use a 20-10-20 fertilizer to encourage strong plant growth. Once the beautiful blooms have come through, you can enjoy them for a while. When they start to wither, pinch them off to allow further blooming. When the flowering season ends, cut the stems down to ground level. These perennial plants can give you fragrant blooms for many years.
Flower Delivery Service
Growing your own flowers is a fun and rewarding experience. You can even go on to make floral arrangements and even gift some of these. Alternatively, if you need a professional bouquet for a special occasion, consider using a flower delivery service. At FloraQueen, we deliver fresh, beautiful flowers to the recipient’s door. We cater to rush orders and have a range of add-on gifts and cards for you to select from.
If you want to send flowers to someone on the other side of town or the other side of the world, FloraQueen has you covered. Our wide network of expert florists has won us a large family of loyal customers and helped us put smiles on the faces of many people over the years.
If you are thinking of growing flowers, we hope you consider carnations. These lovely flowers have large, lasting blooms and can beautify your home. Growing them isn’t very hard, even for the first-timer.
