Dianthus are one of the most lovely — yet underappreciated flowers — in the spring garden.

Not only do they add color and fragrance, but they are among the best of the transition flowers, meaning they make their best show as the spring bulbs and other flowers are between seasons.

Dianthus comes from the Greek words meaning "flower of the gods." Dianthus is in the family Caryophyllaceae, Greek for "clove tree," which refers to the flowers' often clove-scented blooms.

The first recorded references to dianthus comes from ancient Greek and Roman writers. Subsequently, the blooms traveled to Europe, England and Colonial America, picking up many intriguing names along the way — sweet william, pinks, gillyflower, cottage pink, maiden pink, carnation and clove pink.

Their charming forms, colors and heady fragrances invited their use for flavorings in wine, soups, sauces and jams. Dianthus cross-pollinates naturally between species, so connoisseurs had an abundance of plants. Until the 20th century, most selections were chance hybrids, courtesy of nature and enthusiastic gardeners.

The genus Dianthus is a diverse group of plants containing about 300 species, but only four are readily available for gardeners.

Dianthus barbatus — sweet william — is found in countless old-fashioned cottage gardens. It is usually a biennial in northern Utah and will overwinter in all but the coldest areas. Newer varieties are annual flowering.

D. chinensis — or China pinks — can be annual, biennial or short-lived perennials. All the best varieties on the market today will flower as an annual in the first year from seed. Originally from China, the plants tend to be dwarfed, 6- to 10-inches tall, but they may reach 18 inches.

They produce small, single or occasionally double flowers intermittently all summer. The common name, pink, refers, not to the color of the blooms, but to their serrated edges. (To "pink" meant to cut or notch in Old English.) The word for the color comes from the flower, not the other way around.

Excellent open-pollinated varieties include "Persian Carpet," "Pastel Bedder" and "China Doll." Hybrids include "Snowfire," "Raspberry Parfait," "Magic Charms" and "Corona Cherry Magic."

Fortunately, most of these hybrids and selections are hardy, so they do well along the Wasatch Front. These carefree plants need little maintenance; deadheading is not required to keep them blooming continuously.