Lychnis coronaria
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Tried and True Recommended by 3 Professionals
Common Name: rose campion
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Zone: 4 to 8
Native Range: Southeastern Europe
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet
Bloom Time: May to July
Bloom Color: Red
Bloom Description: Rose magenta
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Leaves: Colorful
Tolerates: Dry Soil, Shallow, Rocky Soil, Drought, Deer
Uses: Suitable as Annual, Will Naturalize

Culture

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers moist soil, but will tolerate poor soils with some dryness. A short-lived perennial that may be best grown as a biennial or annual. Freely self-seeds. Deadheading flowers from plant immediately after bloom will prevent any unwanted self-seeding.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Rose campion is a clump-forming perennial which is perhaps grown as much for its basal clumps of ovate, densely woolly, silver-gray leaves (to 5" long) as for its 5-petaled, vivid rose magenta flowers (to 1" diameter). Flowers bloom profusely on smaller-leafed, gray stems rising 2-3' tall. Lengthy late spring to early summer bloom period.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems.

Garden Uses

Leaves and flowers provide excellent color and contrast to perennial borders, wild gardens, cottage gardens or meadows. May be used as an accent or specimen plant. If flower stems are cut back after bloom, the remaining silver-gray, basal foliage can serve as an interesting ground cover (in somewhat the same manner as stachys) for the remainder of the growing season.

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