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Dianthus barbatus 'Summer Sundae': First-Year Flowering Biennial Mix

'Summer Sundae' Sweet William is a mix of red, pink, and white flowers in rounded clusters atop stems. It flowers the first year from seed (late spring to early summer), is lightly fragrant, and works well in cottage gardens, borders, and containers.

Culture & Care

Soil: Well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline; full sun.
Water: No standing water in winter; avoid organic mulch (fungal risk).
Deadhead: Regularly.
Propagation: Seed in cold frame autumn to early spring, or in situ summer for next year.

Potential Problems

Slugs, sow bugs, grasshoppers, chipmunks, squirrels, deer; blister beetles in West; fungal diseases in humid/poorly drained sites.

Quick Reference

Height	1–3 ft.
Spread	6–12 in.
Growth Pace	Moderate
Light	Full Sun
Moisture	Adaptable
Maintenance	Moderate
Features	Attracts Butterflies, Fragrant Flowers, Showy Flowers
Bloom Time	Spring to Summer
Flower Color	Pink, Red, White
Uses	Beds, Borders, Cut Flowers, Containers
Style	Cottage Garden
Type	Annual (first-year flowering biennial)

Other: Spring Flowers: Early Bloomers That Herald Winter's End; Spring Garden Design: Blooms from April Through September; Spring Flowers for Your Home: Bulbs, Crocuses, Hyacinths, Tulips, and Roses; Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra): Glossy Red Berries on Woodland Perennial; Dianthus 'Neon Star': Fluorescent Pink Flowers on Silvery-Blue Foliage; Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William): Classic Biennial for Cottage Gardens; Dianthus deltoides (Maiden Pink): Easy Self-Sowing Groundcover; Dianthus gratianopolitanus (Cheddar Pink): Fragrant Mats for Rock Gardens; Dianthus × allwoodii (Allwood Hybrids): Long-Blooming Salmon Pinks; Beardlip Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus)

Garden Articles

Sunset Hyssop (Agastache rupestris): Western Native with Sunset-Colored Flowers for Dry Gardens

Carpet Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans): Fast-Spreading Groundcover with Blue Spring Flowers

Mimosa / Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin): Fast-Growing, Ferny-Leaved Tree with Pink Powder Puff Flowers

Giant Onion (Allium giganteum): Towering Lilac-Pink Globes for Summer Borders

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): Edible, Pom-Pom Flowers for Herb and Cottage Gardens

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus): Classic Upright Spikes in Warm Colors

Frikart’s Aster (Aster × frikartii): Long-Blooming Violet-Blue Flowers

Plants

Brunnera macrophylla: Siberian Bugloss for Shade Gardens

Calycanthus 'Venus': White Magnolia-Like Blooms

Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua): Late-Summer Bloomer for Moist Shade

Corydalis cheilanthifolia – Fern-Leaved Corydalis with Bronzy Foliage

Corydalis lutea – Yellow Corydalis, Long-Blooming Shade Perennial

Dalea greggii (Trailing Indigo Bush): Tough Groundcover for Slopes

Delphinium 'Bluebird': Pacific Hybrid with White-Centered Blue Flowers