History of Pinks

Poetic Times

   The origins of many garden plants are obscure and Pinks in their present form are no exception. That they were in cultivation at least as early as Elizabethan times is beyond doubt.

Many gardening writers cite lines from Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale" as proof of this claiming that when he wrote of 'Carnations and Gillyflowers' the latter was the old name for Pinks. Maybe, but there is much surer proof in literature of their existence at that time.

John Fletcher, the poet, playwright and contemporary of Shakespeare, refers in his poem to  'Roses, Pinks, and lovéd Lilies'. 

A little later the great John Milton penned the line 'The white Pink, and the Pansy freaked with jet'. His reference to the 'White Pink' upholds the general view that the name Pink did not come about because of the predominance of that colour in the flower but because the edges of their petals are pinked or serrated as if with pinking shears as used in dressmaking.

18th and 19th Century

As with many garden flower varieties Pinks have changed down through the ages; during the 18th Century the finely marked Laced pinks appeared north of the border and the weavers of Paisley formed a society dedicated to showing them and many colour forms were produced. Some of the hardier types survived to be hybridised resulting in the modern Laced pinks available today.

In Victorian times the variety 'Mrs Sinkins' was introduced by the then Master of the Slough poor house, this flower is  considered to be the most scented of all Pinks. Named after the breeder's wife it became so famous that it is depicted on the town's coat of arms held in the beak of a swan.

Modern Times

By the 20th Century many plant breeders were working with Pinks, the most prominent being Montagu Allwood of Allwood Brothers of Haywards Heath, it was he who produced the hybrid that is ancestor of most modern day Pinks. Allwoodii Pinks, as they are known, are hardy, easy to grow and reliable performers so it is not surprising that they form the greater part of our stock.