Each day here, I see plants that I haven’t met before. It’s one of the joys of this big move and I try to remember to open my eyes as wide as I can to see all the newness around me. Some plants in particular capture my heart and this beautiful dianthus is one of those.

It’s sad that Dianthus are so under-appreciated in Australia. I’m not sure they’re built to flourish in the dry heat of Melbourne and I think the ubiquitous pink carnation has done them a great disfavour.

So it is lovely to discover their delicate beauty now…

The subtle shades and textures of those petals and stamens.

The delicate fringing and veining of the petals.

The way the petals start to curl inwards as they age.

And the perfect star of the older flowers.

Heavenly, that’s all I have to say. But there’ll no doubt be more on dianthuses (dianthes?!) here very soon!