Mum needs some help, identification and advice, please.

Ok, so, I've gone out to have a tidy up of the front border. Admittedly, we've concentrated on the rear, but, the front still needs a tidy.

I'm pulling out some grass from a neglected border, pull out an old, dried rose trimming (??) then look down and see some old dead roots (pic 1). As I pull away, the length I pull has something alive at the end of it (pic 2). But, I'd already grabbed (and ripped out) a goodly handful.

I've put that goodly handful in a bucket of water, in the shade, so I can seek your advice. I *think* this is an ancient dianthus; and I *think* propogation is by layering(?). Looking at the handful I've yanked out, I'm wondering if there is anything I can do with the pieces to try and salvage some of it before it gets consigned to the compost bin.

Any thoughts?








My next issue is identifying a plant which has popped up in the front for the two years I have been here; so, a perennial But, I have no idea what is it (other than pretty) and I'm wondering if it can be divided so I can share it's prettiness around the front further.

Pic 1: the group
Pic 2: the flower





Any, and all, help gratefully appreciated.

 

1) Definitely looks like the dianthus - layering is a way of propagating the dianthus but I think that until rooting has taken place the stem must not be removed from the parent plant.
2) This looks like a dahlia that belongs to the 'Bishop' collection. I love the colouring of the foliage.

 

Thank you, Anne. So, my bucket of "handfuls" cannot be salvaged; pity

Aha! Dahlia; thank you. Yes, the foliage is a lovely colouring, the picture really doesn't do it justice

 

Before throwing it away it might be worth trying to take some cuttings from it. Worth a gamble!

 

Yes you can take cuttings from the dianthus!

 

Don't throw away the Dianthus. The green shoots at the ends of the stems will root now very easily in the normal manner for cuttings. There is a method of Dianthus cuttings where you gently pull about 2 inches of green growth out of the old (like one can do with grass stems). They are then treated like cuttings.