At long last we have carnations for you! I’ve been working on bringing these to American growers for what feels like an eternity, but I won’t bore you with the reasons we haven’t had them, I will simply rejoice with you that we now have access to the top lines of Carnations and Novelty Dianthus in the world. 

Carnations were one of the first crops we lost to overseas production. Their love of cool and moderate temperatures, their long shelf life and their ability to be packed tightly in boxes for travel made them an obvious choice for Colombian and Ecuadorian flower growers. Before that, they were widely produced in the US. There was a major carnation industry in Colorado specifically, but small scale florists produced them in greenhouses for their local market.

I won’t tell you that they are the easiest things to grow. As indestructible as they seem as a cut flower, the plants themselves have very specific needs. You can read more about carnation cultivation here. They are not for everyone.

Spray Carnations, or Mini-Carnations as they are often called simply produce smaller flowers in greater abundance. Remove the first flower bud to encourage the development of the side shoots. 

Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) occur naturally in the Mediterranean, and are not fully hardy. They enjoy cool, moderate temperatures but should not be exposed to temperatures below 45F (7C) in winter. This means they are best suited to a minimally heated greenhouse for most growers. 

Carnations can ship with other plug products from Gro 'n Sell. They are grown in a 50 cell “half-tray”. 

We have included a few varieties that are currently unavailable to us to get your feedback. If you are interested in these uniquely colored carnations, kindly use the “Notify Me” button so we can let you know as soon as we have secured availability. All photos courtesy of Selecta.