This little alpine pink is really putting on a show in my garden after the recent sunshine.

It started flowering at the end of May and will continue for some time yet, especially if I remove the spent flower heads which will promote fresh blooms. I have it growing in a pot next to other alpine pinks that are in bud but yet to flower.

The petals of ‘Supernova’ are patterned with shades of ruby red and bright pink and edged in white. The foliage is silver grey and compact in habit, making this plant ideal for containers or an alpine garden at a height of only 10cm. All pinks need free draining alkaline soil and a sunny situation.

I like to pick a few flowers to bring inside as I love their clove-like scent that makes these little flowers unique. The Elizabethans loved them too for their sweet, spicy scent, and used them to mask a multitude of other less lovely smells making hand held posies and pot pourri mixes from their petals. Pinks have been grown in this country for centuries and I think they deserve a place in our gardens today.