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Caryophyllaceae
Sweet William
Dianthus barbatus
Gallantry, finesse, masculine devotion.
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
- Genus
- Dianthus
- Native to
- Southern Europe, western Asia
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- Biennial or short-lived perennial
- Height
- 30–60 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- 2–3 years; self-seeds
Did you know
- The origin of the name 'Sweet William' is genuinely unknown — theories include William Shakespeare, William the Conqueror, and St. William of York, but no one really knows.
- Sweet William was one of the flowers in Catherine Middleton's bridal bouquet in 2011 — a quiet tribute to her husband Prince William.
- It's a true biennial: leaves the first year, flowers the second, then dies — but it self-seeds so reliably that it seems perennial.
- The flower clusters carry the same clove-like fragrance as other dianthus, and the petal edges are lightly fringed.
- In Scotland it's sometimes called 'Stinking Billy' — a Jacobite jab at the Duke of Cumberland who put down the 1745 rebellion.
Color meanings
Red
Loyal love
White
Pure intention