In North America, we generally think of the Carnation as the cut flowers that are produced under glass in a greenhouse. This was not so 30 years ago, when the carnation was among the most popular of garden plants in mild areas. It's not totally clear why growing these lovely, well-behaved flowers would have fallen so far out of vogue in North America, but luckily there are still some scraps of knowledge pertaining to growing them and caring for them, as well as our cousins in Europe who have kept on the tradition of growing Carnations outdoors all along (too bad I can't read Dutch though).
The reason carnations can not be grown in much of North America is because the summer temperatures over much of the continent are too high for them to flourish. Of course there is the polar problem of many areas the winter temperatures being to cold. The best sort of climate for growing carnations is that displayed in coastal areas such as San Fransisco, Halifax Nova Scotia, all over England, Netherlands, and Tasmania where the fog protects the land from strong sun, and the ocean keeps the land mild during so-called 'cold' times of the year, if it can even really be classified as cold when the temperature barely drops below freezing for crying out loud.
The bottom line is that carnations won't be hardy where winters are harsh. If you live in zone 7 or below, it is not likely Carnations will do well enough to bloom well in the summer. If you do, be sure your carnations are lightly covered with a layer of evergreen branches or hay during the winter. This can help in attaining hardiness. Keeping your plants healthy will also help in this.
They'll need fertile, well-drained soil. They don't like acid soil, so if you might want to add some dolomite lime each spring, or in the least, each time you add manure or compost (lime counteracts the acidity of added organic matter). If you live in an area of high rainfall, be very sure to have well-drained soil. The addition of sharp sand or pumice may be necessary to make the plants healthy in wet areas.
Many gardeners on the wet west coast grow carnations in a rockery or alpine bed in order to meet this drainage requirement.
All outdoor Carnations need full sun and they shouldn't be crowded together or among other plants. They are great plants for seaside gardens.
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