Dense flat-topped clusters of small florets in crimson, purple and pink, each one marked with a contrasting pale eye at the centre, after the elaborate eye markings of a Victorian auricula. On sturdy stems at 45 to 60cm.
The scent is the reason they have been grown in Britain since the 1500s. It is a rich clove perfume, and one small bunch will scent a room. In the vase they hold ten days to a fortnight, which is exceptional. They also fill an awkward gap: the spring biennials are finishing, wallflowers and forget-me-nots, and the summer annuals have not started, and this is what covers late May and June.
It is a biennial, so nothing happens the first year. Leaves and a strong green rosette, then the display the following spring, then it sets seed and dies. Sow a short row every year and there is always a crop coming. It self-seeds freely once established, so a colony keeps itself going. The petals are edible, with a mild clove flavour.
