Deptford Pinks

Day 278: Perhaps my favourite of all the various things which have surfaced in commercial "wildflower" mixes, Deptford Pinks add a delightfully bright note despite the fact that the flowers are relatively small (smaller than Rose Campion) and are borne at the tops of thready 18" stems. I think the freckles are what make this member of the Dianthus family so winsome, or maybe it's the "pinked" edges of the petals which look as if they were cut out with pinking shears. The enticing etymological rabbit hole evoked by the term "pink" yields up nothing definitive with respect to the flower, although "to pink" means "to make holes by piercing with a sharp instrument," which to my way of thinking (although entirely unsupported) might refer to the resemblance of the freckles to small perforations. Trypophobics beware! You might want to think twice before planting Deptford Pinks in your garden!