Abstract: Cadmium (Cd) is a common heavy metal pollutant that significantly threatens both the environment and human health. Cultivating ornamental plants in areas with light to moderate contamination may offer a practical approach for the safe use of heavy metal-contaminated soils. This study investigates four cultivars of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus), namely Master, Lixiang, Kaisi, and Kalinbo, through a pot experiment. The plants were exposed to Cd stress at three concentrations, with high at 50 mg·kg⁻¹, medium at 30 mg·kg⁻¹, and low at 10 mg·kg⁻¹. A control group (CK, 0 mg·kg⁻¹) received no Cd treatment. The purpose was to examine the response of these carnation cultivars to Cd stress, as well as their accumulation and translocation characteristics. The results showed that the biomass of Master remained almost unaffected by Cd stress at any concentration. After 45 days, only the high-concentration treatment for Master resulted in an 8.60% decrease in chlorophyll content (SPAD), while the other cultivars maintained normal levels. Over time, the soluble protein (SP) content in all cultivars gradually increased, while the activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased. This suggests that although the plants were initially impacted by Cd stress, they gradually developed resistance by using their antioxidant enzyme systems to remove excess free radicals. The enrichment factors in the roots for Master, Lixiang, Kaisi, and Kalinbo ranged from 1.56 to 12.72, 4.63 to 15.74, 3.56 to 7.98, and 5.40 to 8.50, respectively. In the shoots, the enrichment factors ranged from 0.17 to 0.73, 0.22 to 1.18, 0.10 to 0.85, and 0.13 to 0.63, respectively. The limited translocation of heavy metals from roots to shoots helped protect the aboveground parts from toxicity.