When you consider how popular the carnation was in the days before hybridizers bred out its lovely light scent of cloves to turn it into a stiff-petaled supermarket standby, it is shocking to realize how far a flower’s fortunes can fall.
Photography by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.
A century ago breeding carnations was a rich man’s hobby, with millionaires competing against each other for prizes at flower shows. A few decades later most varieties of Dianthus caryophyllus sold in the US are shipped in from South America—and nobody much cares about their history.
Heirloom carnations pictured include (clockwise from top L) ‘Homer’, purple ‘Antigua’, beige ‘Antigua’, ‘Terracotta’, and an unnamed paler peach variety that Gardenista contributor and talented florist Sophia Moreno-Bunge bought at the flower market in Los Angeles.
After I saw what Sophia found at the flower market, I ran out to get some heirloom varieties for my own garden.
Dianthus caryophyllus likes it hot. For cut flowers, suppliers include California flower wholesaler Florabundance and New York Flower Guy.
If you want to grow heirloom carnations in your garden, Annie’s Annuals ships plants. Available seasonally, the selection of Dianthus caryophyllus currently includes purple-striped ‘Chomley Farran’ ($12.95 for a 4-inch pot).
Allow me to quote from the circa-1915 book Commercial Carnation Culture: “We have in the carnation one of the great flowers of the ages, ranking second only to the rose in universal esteem.”
In the UK, nursery Allwoods of Hassock (with the motto “Where plants come first”), grows wonderfully fragile and frilly varieties of greenhouse carnations.
Heirloom varieties often disappear without a trace as trends change and breeders change tack. A hundred years ago US commercial growers named 15 varieties the “best” carnations available in terms of size, color, and hardiness.
When Sophia found these heirloom varieties at the flower market in Los Angeles, she realized they could stand on their own in a floral arrangement.
The only embellishment Sophia added was a few wispy vines of grape leaves.
Prone to floppiness, carnations have a lazy-afternoon look to them.
The day he was shot in 1901 President William McKinley was wearing a red carnation in his lapel (he made no secret of the fact that it was his favorite flower) and for years after his assassination there was talk of making the carnation our national flower.
How and why does a flower fall out of fashion? This is our latest installment of Rethinking Flowers, a series about old garden favorites that deserve a second chance.