Heavenly scents

Indeed, one old-fashioned pink bears the name Sops in Wine', because the petals were used as a cheaper alternative to cloves. The name Gilly flower was also used and this is corruption of Giroflier the French name for the clove.

Although the pink started life as a culinary addition, their pretty fringed petals soon made them a popular florist's flower and gradually single pinks became fuller-petalled and more prettily marked. From the late 18th century to the middle of the 19th century breeding and showing pinks became highly popular with artisans.

The word pink, describing the colour, came into usage then too. Before that it only referred to the fringed-petalled flower, which looked as though it had been pinked with scissors. This is why Red Campion and other wild flowers, though pink in colour, are given the older name of Red.

One group of artisans, the Paisley Weavers from Scotland, bred and named 3,000 laced varieties and Paisley Gem' and Dad's Favourite' are thought to be from this era.

However, when the air became polluted, due to the burgeoning number of factories springing up close to the River Clyde, most of these varieties were lost, as pinks will not survive in polluted air.

An open sunny site is vital, pinks won't grow underneath trees and shrubs and they also need well-drained conditions. They will not thrive in heavy soil which lays cold and wet in winter. But do not despair if you have heavy or clay soil, just add lots of grit to the the borders and make raised beds that are higher than the paths to improve drainage.

Some varieties of pinks are ancient. Old Fringed White' is said to be a 16th-century variety, but individually pink plants are generally short lived, lasting an average of four years.

They need propagating from cuttings or pipes', every summer. The technique is simple. Pull the small leafy shoots away from the plant with a gentle tug and place them in a 50 per cent mixture of compost and horticultural sand, putting several in one pot or tray.

Keep them out of full sun and pot them up when rooted. This usually takes 3-4 weeks. Pot them up individually and then, once rooted, either plant them out in late August or in the following spring.

Certain varieties do seem to endure and anybody who has grown the loose, ragged white Mrs Sinkins' will probably have had it for years. This pink was introduced in 1868 by Charles Turner, a Slough nurseryman, but was bred by John Sinkins the Superintendent of Slough Workhouse. Attempts were made to get him to name it after Queen Victoria, but he insisted on naming for his wife and his pink became so acclaimed that it's included in the Slough Coat of Arms.

Pinks and carnations are closely related but carnations tend to have larger, thicker leaves which curl at the tip. They also tend to be less hardy and to have larger, less-fragrant flowers in a wider range of colours. M or importantly carnations flower perpetually. They take their name from the word coronation, because these flowers were used to crown heroes and important people. The generic name dianthus means divine, again alluding to their use as an ornamental flower for honouring the Gods or the recently deceased.

Pinks are more subtle in form with finely divided foliage and smaller, highly-fragrant flowers in shades of pink and white. These come in one glorious, June flush and pinks probably arrived here with the Normans, imported on building stone from Caen. There is a famous colony growing on the walls of Rochester Castle in Kent, a Norman castle built in the 11th century.

Montague Allwood, spent his life crossing pinks and carnations to produce a new race of perpetually-flowering pinks with scented, double flowers. These became known as Dianthus x allwoodii and were often given Christian names. Doris', a salmon-pink bred in 1945, is the most famous of all. A later series of laced pinks followed, including Laced Monarch', Laced Joy' and Laced Hero' and the nursery is still going strong today.