Dianthus Everlast is among the plants putting on a second show in our garden.

The flowers bring some unexpected white to the mix of fall-blooming plants, a kind of punctuation mark to the palette of autumn that surrounds them.

This particular Dianthus is a perennial. It bloomed back in June, and when it was done I gave it a good haircut. When these blooms are spent I’ll let them stand. It makes for a less tidy fall garden, but I like to let plants complete their natural cycles at this time of year as they get ready to head into the cold weather.