What’s the name of these flowers?!

[sunnywinters]

Thank you!

Sweet Williams I think

I call them baby carnations but I think they're called Dianthus

Sweet William.

Sweet William (dianthus barbatus)

Sweet William! Smell wonderful.
They do look like Dianthus but the leaves on these are softer and greener. Dianthus are drier looking.

Thank you!

Definitely Sweet William. Love the smell of them.

Dianthus is the scientific name of the genus which includes Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) (which are what these are), Pink (D. plumarius) and Carnation (D. caryophylla) as well as the Cheddar Pink (D. grationopolitanus) which is wild but rare in Britain, and over 300 other species.

Then to confuse things, people refer to pinks as “Dianthus” ignoring all the other species of Dianthus in the same way as we talk about “Primula”, ignoring cowslip, oxlip, primrose, birds-eye primrose, Scottish primrose, Auricula, all of which are in the genus Primula.

They don't seem to smell these days! Is it only the cut ones in shops that don't smell?

Sweet Williams were my mum's favourite flower. ❤️

I know what you mean. They've done it to freesias as well. The plant breeders have concentrated so much on producing heavy-cropping varieties that last well when cut for flower arranging, that the scent seems to have been forgotten and bred out of them.

The ones Ive grown from seed smell

Sweet Williams. Somehow I knew they would be before I opened up the thread!

They've done it to freesias as well. The plant breeders have concentrated so much on producing heavy-cropping varieties that last well when cut for flower arranging, that the scent seems to have been forgotten and bred out of them.

What on earth is the point of a freesia which doesn't smell?
Tobacco plants are another. DF used to grow them - the flowers didn't really open till the evening but then smelt glorious. The ones you can buy now have no scent and aren't that exciting a flower tbh. Maybe the old type is available from seed?

Yes. Try Nicotiana sylvestris, ever so easy from seed, and one plant completely fills the greenhouse with scent (they’re ok outside in the summer, but the leaves are sticky and helpful to control pests in the greenhouse)