In honor of the new Duke of Cambridge, I planted some Sweet William this weekend! Although I did plant both some little seedlings and some seeds. I didn't want to wait until next year to see them flower!
Sweet William (
Dianthus barbatus), also called
bunch pink or
bearded pink. It is usually treated as a garden biennial, seed sown the first year producing
flowering plants the second year. The plant, growing to a height of 60 cm (2 feet), produces numerous flowers—white, pink,
rose to violet, or sometimes bicoloured—with fringed petals.
Many sources contend that the flower was named for
William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, who led British forces against the
Jacobites at the
Battle of Culloden in 1746. Other sources claim, however, that the name of the flower can be traced to the writings of
Thomas Tusser, a 16th-century English poet. In Scotland the flower is known as stinking Willie or sour Billy.
I can't wait for these little cuties to bloom! I'll post some pictures when the do (although it might be next year!)
