Name: Dianthus, its botanical name, means divine flower. Carnation was the flesh-pink color Elizabethan portrait painters used as a background wash.

Color: Available in a huge range of colours, almost all except blue. A mauve carnation with a blue tinge has been developed by Florigene in Australia. But they look best in hot Latin shades of red, pink and orange.

Availability: All year round.

Varieties: New varieties have been bred which look like old-fashioned garden pinks, but in bright colours. They have daintier relatives, the fantastically fragrant Sweet Williams and Pinks.

Care Tips: Carnations can last up to three weeks but should be kept away from ripening fruit and vegetables because of ethylene gas.

Description: The carnation is available as a standard carnation - one large flower per stem, or a spray carnation with lots of smaller flowers.

Language of Flowers: Red carnation for "alas for my poor heart", striped for refusal, yellow for disdain, pink for woman's love.