Dianthus, Dark-Eyed

India · nature

A pink-and-white dianthus opens with a dark maroon ring at its centre — petals fringed at the edges, the dark eye looking out from the middle like a small intricate clock face.

Dianthus — sweet William, sometimes called pinks, even when they aren't — is one of the most carefully patterned flowers in the Indian winter garden. The petals come fringed at the edges, the colour graded from pale pink at the rim down to a deep saturated rose at the centre, and at the very middle a ring of dark maroon that looks almost stamped on. Look at a dianthus close enough and the whole flower starts to resemble a small decorated clock.

This bloom had opened that morning. I shot from above with the petals filling the frame, the dark ring sitting just slightly off-centre so the eye had something to find. The petals at the edges were soft white, the centre an almost-electric pink, the dark ring at the heart so sharp it could have been drawn on with a fine brush. There is a tradition of giving sweet William as a gift in cold-weather gardens because the patterning is so intentionally elegant. Looking at this one closely, you understand why.

View on site · Full gallery · Instagram