Carnation 'Solar'

Carnations are easier than I thought to grow from seed. I live in Zone 6 and as long as they have some afternoon shade they seem to thri...Read Moreve well. Another plus to them is they also make a great cut flower.
I usually start mine indoors in February and move them outdoors end of April. They do need to be hardened off before planting and the seeds kept do need stratified before planted the following year.
I usually get first year blooms, but the second and third years result in much higher bloom counts. For those established outside they do need to be mulched well and have good drainage to be overwintered.
I love the Chabaud variety as they are not to tall and come in a large variety of colors. This variety also does well indoors in containers. I found "Solar" to be a particularly eye catching and beautiful carnation.