Jolt dianthus forms a low mound of blue-grey foliage, topped with fringed, clove-scented flowers mainly in late spring. Shear it back after the first flush and you'll often get a second round of bloom before summer heat sets in.

Here it needs full sun and lean, gritty soil, because rich wet ground will rot the crowns faster than any bloom can make up for. It sits well at the edge of a border, along a walk, or spilling over a sunny wall where the drainage takes care of itself.