Well, as usual, you're so far ahead of me. I didn't even know there was more than one 'pink'. It turns out that what I had were chinensis x barbatus. I ordered 30 'starters' some years ago, being hopeless with seeds. I had them edging a raised (very) bed, and dotted the leftovers around. They were mainly with old roses. Only a couple left now. Although they're drought tolerant, I found they did way better when we had a fair bit of rain. I had a few Sweet Williams too - love them. They've gone to god, but that doesn't mean much, as a lot of my plants seem to prefer it up there.

I grow dianthus only for the scent, which I love. I keep them in vases in the house which make the air smell like cloves.

My favorite is Dianthus "rainbow loveliness" which I grow from seed. Sometimes it comes back but acts like an annual here. They're grown among my other plants where there's some space.

The mat forming one (D. Gratianopolitanus "Firewitch") blooms in early summer and I cut them, too, for the scent. They are beautiful flat on the ground, spreading in a mound covered with blooms, at the edges of the garden.

Then I grow one (also Firewitch) in a pot at nose level on my deck so I can sniff it whenever I'm out there without having to pick it or bend over. That one I keep deadheaded and it reblooms all summer. I just love the scent.

Like Susan, I love the scented Dianthus, though I love their flower shapes and colors, and foliage as well. I'm about to sow seeds to hopefully have flowers during the winter into the spring.

I have seeds for superbus, Rainbow Loveliness. I grew these only once before and really loved them, so looking forward to having them again. I also bought some "Wee Willie" Sweet William for small pots, and a larger Sweet William that grows to about 18" tall. And I have some old packets of a chinensis called "Dulce white to pink". Hopefully I can get some of those to germinate even though they're old. The flowers start out white and blush pink as the age. And I also have some Dwarf Fragrance carnation seeds. So many seeds, so little space and time....

My favorite dianthus is a ‘Carnation’ pink. Unfortunately I’ve lost the tag. I’ve had it for years and last year it started to die out.

Luckily I was able to propagate a few and saved them. I just moved them recently to hopefully a happy place where they will thrive for many more years.

They bloom for a very long time if deadheaded. This is one of very few plants I give extra care to. I just love the bold color.

Here are some pics from the past

I really like our little block of Cheddar Pinks, Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink' both for it's reliability and longevity. Am sure we've had it for over ten years, during which time 3 or 4 hybrid Dianthus Firewitch plants (perhaps in less favoured locations) passed away. The main maintenance requirement is chopping around the block once a year, with a spade, to reduce the year's spread.

(June 9, 2017)

The closest thing to annuals I plant is Sweet William, Dianthus barbatus, for it's showiness. Below dwarf Barbarini Picotee Purple (June 1, 2018).

Mine died this year. I have had it for 5 years. It was hot and dry and maybe it was time. Time to buy some more.

I've haven't had many of my dianthus in the ground for long (a year), but some were transplanted from existing gardens on the property and had been there for a long long time. The transplanted ones were probably Dianthus deltoides, a typical shorter variety with single magenta flowers and very small narrow leaves. They hung on in that old garden despite spent soil, neglect, botanical bullies, and drought, although their clump was declining. They were moved to the new garden area with soil that had been tilled and well amended with compost and peat. They are much healthier now and spreading.

I grew fringed Dianthus from seed last year, both 'Rainbow Loveliness' and 'Lace Perfume.' They came back strong after a harsh winter. I now have those seeding around like an annual, and I think they'll be welcome as they travel around peeking their fringed heads up from around other flowers. I can't tell if one or both is responsible for the seeding as they are very similar. They are also in the healthy soil, which is still quite fluffy in places, and I have found out the hard way that many seeds are finding it easy to establish there right now.

My Bath's Pink cheddar pinks were purchased from nursery stock last year. They look fantastic and are significantly larger this year. Strangely, though, i bought them from two different nurseries, and they are distinctly different shades of light pink.

I would love to explore the more obscure world of Dianthus, with the exception of Sweet William to which I have not yet warmed. Let us know how your less popular varieties do. There are so many dianthus to grow in so many conditions, and I find so many of them to be very charming. I am establishing a meadow, as well, in a new laws area where the grass hasn't quite taken hold because of two years of drought. I'm going to investigate the ones you mentioned above.

Among others, I have been growing Dianthus monspessulanus for more than 5 years and like it a lot -- think you may like it, too, Campanula. It is grassy in appearance (in fact, I use it for the "grass" component of a little mock meadow within one flower bed) and the flowers wave about on roughly 18" stems, like wands. It is very nicely scented and a wafter; stays in bloom for a couple of months. I got my original two plants from the U.C. Berkeley Botanical Garden, but it sets plenty of seed and I have grown many more plants from that seed. A link to a seed site that has a photo and blurb: https://www.plant-world-seeds.com/store/view_seed_item/5894

Of the more common varieties, 'Rose du Mai' gets a lot of appreciation from me for its scent, longevity, and sheer toughness (planted on a gritty slope where sometimes I forget to water it for a few weeks at a time).

I also grow D. carthusianorum in places that get irrigated maybe once a month, so, yes, that one is definitely drought tolerant. A little more stingy with flowers when grown THAT dry, but it still blooms.

We have 5 varieties of dianthus on a small side hill grouped with each other along with an Armeria maritima (common thrift) 'Bloodstone' and 2 varieties of creeping phlox. Here is a picture of them yesterday that isn't very showy, only a few blooms:

The 5 varieties are Dianthus Devon Cottage 'Pinball Wizard Pink' (new this year, bloomed fairly well); Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin White" (nice foliage but not a single bloom this year); Dianthus caryophyllus 'Super Trouper' (small bloom in foreground of picture); Dianthus deltoides 'Vampire' (bloomed well early summer); and two plants of unmarked variety from the Lowe's sale rack this year. Overall I like having a little section of them and they put out some color in their part sun location in our full-sun-challenged yard. My favorite Dianthus that died over winter was Dianthus chinensis 'Velvet 'n Lace', here's a picture and I liked it so much I might try it again:

Forgot to add what else was in the Dianthus monspessulanus "meadow", which is serving as a space filler in a triangle between three tea roses that are still young. Some of it is self-seeded violas, sweet alyssum and Geranium incanum, interspersed with things I have planted, including the D. monspessulanus, Laurentia axillaris, Salvia nemerosa 'Sallyrosa Jumbo Pink' (my absolute favorite of all these -- tidy, nice color, blooms almost constantly), Satureja thymbra, Satureja spicata, and probably a few other things lurking in there that I can't recall at the moment.

Oh Catspa. I have been sent some of the monspessulanus as a bonus in an order of various dianthus. I remember when you planted yours. I also have a few salvias...but not nemorosa. I do have a lot of s.pratensis...which has just finished blooming, but always leaves me in a quandary. According to my Keble. Martin, the leaves are supposed to be a modest 6.15cm...while mine has monstrous argentea sized leaves of 40cm. The whole plant is not an ideal meadow component.(clunky and floppy)..so I have ordered s.hians, s,azurea and s.farinacea...but all is trial and error. Catspa, I have included flaxes - perenne and lewisii...and a few hopeful western penstemons...along with wildflowers such as centaury, knapweeds, anthemis.

Although I find it easier to place the taller dianthus, I have also not warmed to sweet william...although I have sown seed of plain white for cutting. I am looking forward to the rosy flowered Balkan pinks - d.pinifolius most of all.

Another favorite of mine although I don't have many anymore. I still have Sops in Wine,

...and this one, Devon something or other, the name isn't coming to me.

Annette

Sigh, Campanula, the sages you mention do look "meadowy" and lovely and none of them worked here -- they didn't seem to like the heat here, so they will probably do well for you. Only the extremely wonderful South African species, Salvia muirii, and Salvia nemerosa types have proven totally satisfactory.. The flaxes have the "look", too, and I've had them here from time to time. They are common invasives in our lower-elevation grasslands (centaury, too), but don't seem to persist more than a year or two in the back yard -- go figure. The native penstemons are nice here, too, for a few years at least -- more like short-lived perennials, and don't self-seed (not really their habitat).

Sweet williams I have grown, too, but they always somehow look too artificial in "less formal" (to use a euphemism) settings like my garden, as do the incredible new strains of Dianthus that the variety "Georgia Peach Pie" represents. I grew that one for the first time this year and it is an extremely robust gorilla of a variety (three young plants each in their own 12" pot all entirely filled their pots and then some in the course of a few months), and very floriferous -- literally never not in bloom the entire summer and fall, up to this moment. But, the huge size and color of the flower, not to mention the plants, seem anything but natural -- sort of like it's on steroids. Though I would not try to place it in a natural setting, it is a great container variety and does have a nice scent.

(My apologies for the delayed comment -- I lost one of my cats to a fast, aggressive cancer over the course of this past month, most of that time being spent trying to figure out what was wrong and taking care of her -- but, in the end, nothing to be done.)

I am very sorry about your cat, catspat. I know that is a hard thing to go through. I know she was grateful for your love in her final month.

I just wanted to add another comment about the fringed dianthus I grew from seed. Now that the season is closing, I am finding little volunteers all over, some blooming now with their first flush. They are reseeding more than I realized when I posted first. These plants are small enough that I don't believe their seeding will be an issue, but they are welcome to fill in all the existing holes in my still-new garden bed. I think I might become a big fan of them!

Ah, Catspa, cyberhugs from me - it is such a sorrowful loss, losing a beloved animal companion. I hope she had a long and rich life, lounging beneath roses with her fellow feline friends.

Dianthus are so easy to grow from seeds - all of mine have germinated (including the unknown d.pinifolius, monspessulanus and superba ) and are sitting in 4inch pots, demanding to be pricked out to spread their roots. My sisyrinchium have flowered (yellow) and I took a whole heap of verbena bonariensis cuttings (side-shoots will root in just over a week!), along with numerous salvias. Most disappointing, was the orange flowered salvia stolonifera - very promising foliage but steadfastly refuses to flower.

There is a chap over on the meadow forum - Christopher - who has a patch of land which he is gradually restoring to a diverse but fundamentally simple matrix. He plants plugs directly into the landscape...rather than the more orthodox method of land clearance with glyphosate. I think he is based in New Hampshire or somewhere with a more northerly latitude than I am used to. Worth a look at his threads (one is called a 'little house in the woods' or something similar. Do check it out because it is not so different from my own (ahem) methodology.

I think they're lovely, but they don't tolerate my spring swampiness at all :(

Christopher in in the SE US, in Norh Carolina, but up in the mountains to at least some degree.

Just checked him out. Luuuuurrrrrve what he has done. I have an area I am converting to meadow, and I have struggled with "how" to do it. Massive kill job? Seedlings within the grasses? I was worried that seedlings would be overwhelmed. Think I will post and ask him.

He's not northerly. He's in North Carolina, down south. But, it he is in the Appalachian mountains of NC, so his climate is not the typical sea-level sandy tropical sauna-in-the-summer you see in the lower elevations of the south. He'll have humidity still, but the mountains will provide a distinct relief, and his winters will be hardier. I know there are some ski areas in the Appalachians, but they struggle to keep the snow skiable often. Because of his elevation, his meadow does look EXACTLY like something I would see up here. Amazing.

And, just to add to this info for the nerd persons among us, I recently found out that the Appalachians, which are the oldest mountain range in the world and are believed to have at one time been as high as Mt. Everest, are second only to China in botanical forest biodiversity. I grew up down there, and had no no no idea. When the children fly the nest, I would like to go back and take a week just walking the Blue Ridge Mountains, To See What I Could See.

UPDATE: Cross-post tag, NHBabs!

That lazy @ss gardening is my gardening too. I like the creation of systems that co-exist...Less maintanance in the long run, or so I tell myself.. I have different expectations about neatness though. Everyone goes , How do I get things top look so natural. Well, ....I will have to check him out. My Uncle, Now cousin's New Hampshire place has a lawn that has never been planted or fertilized since the beginning of the 20th century. It is this great amalgam of moss grass short clovers and odd short plants . I love it. I will have to check out the site.

O caught out on the climate thing again. I just read the bit about 'north' and ignored 'Carolina' (altho my knowledge of US geography is a bit sus).

Well, I'll say your geography isn't too far off, because North Carolina is indeed farther north than South Carolina.

:-D