Can anyone help me? I have carnations in my garden which have flowered and produced Red flowers during spring, but which are now only producing Pink flowers? I have wondered if i was going mad - is this possible or likely? If it is possible, why does this happen?? Also related to carnations, if one slips the plants will the resultant new plants grow smaller flowers over time?
Flower colour (leaf and stem too) can intensify or fade in response to changes in temperature, light and/or soil conditions. I have not seen that on carnations though. As to your second question, when a plant is propagated by cuttings it is identical to the parent. The flowers will be basically the same. A newly propagated plant may make smaller flowers, because it is not as well established and may not have the energy to produce full sized ones yet. The cuttings (slips) have the same potential as the parent plant, but cultural conditions can have a big effect on flower size.
