Fuzzy Leaves and Pink Flowers

Description

• Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria) is a tall, branching, short-lived perennial. Its leaves and stems are silvery gray and softly woolly. Growing to between 2 and 3 feet and spreading between 1 and 2 feet, this sometimes leggy plant is rarely bothered by deer. During the summer, rose campion blooms with a profusion of 1-inch flowers in bright pink and magenta that contrast deeply with its soft, silvery foliage.

Culture

• This desert native grows best in poor, dry soils or limey, calcareous soils. It prefers full sun but can tolerate some shade. Rose campion is drought-tolerant but will grow better with irrigation during dry periods. Deadhead the plant regularly to promote continuous flowering. This tender perennial may not survive a cold winter, but it readily reseeds itself. Deadheading spent blooms at the end of summer may help the plant survive during the winter.

Propagation

• Rose campion usually reseeds itself. In the spring you can thin the seedlings around the old plant if it survived the winter. Seedlings can also be transplanted to other parts of your garden. Don't mulch around the plants too thickly or seeds may not germinate. If you are planting seeds for the first time, sow them before the last spring frost as they need to be chilled before they'll germinate. Don't bury the seeds; just press them into the soil.

Varieties

• If you like a bright pink varietal, you may enjoy some of rose campion's cultivars. "Abbotsford Rose" has rose-colored blooms. "Angel Blush" has pink-tinted, white flowers. "Atrosanguinea" has very light silvery foliage with magenta flowers. "Flora Plena" is a double-flowered variety, and "Oculata" has white flowers with a pink or red eye.