By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Step1
Look in a garden of carnations and find the one that's profusely blooming. This is usually the annual. The annual carnation is a perennial that blooms so much it simply exhausts itself and dies at the end of the season. Annual carnations are older varieties that haven't been as popular in the gardens of the United States. They are sometimes classed in with border carnations.
Step2
Pick one of the 4 to 5 blossoms from the border carnation's stem. They are usually found along a walkway in a garden and are about 12- to 14-inches tall. The petals are smooth and flat, unlike the serrated edges of the perpetual-flowering variety. They have a rush of flowers just once during the year. Dianthus caryophyllus is the ancestor of all border carnations and is still used widely in breeding.
Step3
Look in a florist shop and you will find the perpetual-flowering carnation, which is a more modern hybrid of the flower. Some believe it is a cross between the Dianthus caryophyllus, which is also the grandfather of border carnations, and the Dianthus sinensis, or China Pinks. Aside from the larger size of the plant, the serrated edges of this plant mark it from the other two. These edges form an almost fringe-like look, making it easy to recognize as lapel ready. The Sim form, a variety of this flower, became the basis for the carnation market today.
