Best planted in full sun but will grow nicely in part sun to light shade. Irrigate infrequently to only occasionally – a summer dry growing plant once established. Hardy to below 0 °F (to USDA Zone 5). This is a great little pink for the dry garden but very hard to keep nice in a nursery container. The fragrance, reminiscent of clove, hints at the heritage of this plant as it was thought to be the result of crossing a pink (Dianthus plumarius) with the carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus).

Dianthus 'Gloriosa' is an old hybrid thought to have been bred in the 1700's in Scotland and then lost in cultivation until rediscovered by Leone Bell in a Seattle, Washington garden in 1980, who reintroduced the plant calling it "Seattle Shaggy" before determining that it was the older cultivar 'Gloriosa'. The name of the genus comes from the Greek words 'Dios' meaning "of Zeus" and 'anthos' meaning "flower" so means the "flower of Zeus" as was cited by the Greek botanist Theophrastus. Th origin of the common name "pink" usd for these Dianthus varieties is thought to have come from the pinksten (or pfingsten), the German name for flowers that bloomed during Pentecost (also known as Whitsuntide), the Christian holiday that takes place 49 days after Easter). Another thought is that this name references the "pinked" jagged edges of the petals as though trimmed by pinking shears.

Our thanks go out to John Bleck for our original cuttings of this great little plant, to the late Shirley Kirens at the Huntington Botanic Garden for identifying it for us and to Peggy Cornett at Montecello for some additional information she provided in her article >Pinks, Gilliflowers, & Carnations: The Exalted Flowers. We first offered this plant in 2005 and is has long been a favorite of local Santa Barbara gardeners. 

The information about Dianthus 'Gloriosa' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.