Prickly Dianthus (Acantholimon)

(4" tall x 12" wide) This Prickly Dianthus is a showy flowering perennial with spiny evergreen foliage and short spikes of small pink flowers in late spring. The flowers are followed by attractive papery seeds that hold on the spend flower spikes for many months. The genus hails for the Old World, specifically the mountains of the Middle East and Western Asia. The plants are very long-lived and form large tight mounds of foliage that grow over and around neighboring rocks. The leaves have very sharp spiny tips and caution should be used not to plant them too close to a sidewalk or other spots where they can be brushed against. Rock gardeners and xeric gardeners should have at least one species of this incredible genus in their gardens. Its prickly foliage will ward off rabbits and deer. Evergreen, it will show off its blue-green foliage year-round in zones 5-8. Suitable for Western US, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest. Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. Water occasionally. Recommended companion plants include Aethionema (Fragrant Rock Cress), Penstemon (Beardtongue), and Helianthemum (Rock Rose).