The
Indian Pink was one of the more beautiful flowers in
the Victorian garden. It was known as a biennial as
it was usually sown in one summer, to flower in the
next summer before it died. But the committed gardener
could sow the seed early in a frame,
then put the plants out in a bed of rich, light soil
in May to have them flower gloriously from July to the
end of the season, thus making it an annual. (Hibberd
advised that any number of biennials could be planted
as annuals in this manner.)
The
Indian Pink was introduced into Britain in 1713 by a
French missionary named Bignon, soon becoming one of
Britain's most popular garden flowers. The plant would
grow in most soils, but excessive moisture was to be
avoided.
