The story of the garden pink

(dio-anthus) means ‘god's flower' and the common name, pink, refers to the fimbriated edges of the petals rather than their, the French name for the clove tree. Cloves were the province of the wealthy, so the less well-off added pink petals to their drinks instead. One old pink is still known as ‘Sops in Wine', although the original has probably long gone.