Botanical Name: Lychnis coronaria
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Common Name: Mullein Pink, Rose Campion  
Plant photo of: Lychnis coronaria
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Water Saving Tip:

Water-wise plants can be beautiful as well as practical.

Take your 'My List' Hydrozone Report to a landscape designer, or local nursery, when selecting and purchasing plants.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Perennial, Biennial

 

Height Range

1-3'

 

Flower Color

Pink

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Grey Green, Silver

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Low, Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Meadow, Mediterranean, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Summer

 

Location Uses

Perennial Border, Parking Strip, Patio, Raised Planter

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Mass Planting, Naturalizing, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Butterflies

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer: Susan Frommer/Engstrom
  • Description

  • Notes

Rose campion is a charming garden addition. Leaves form a basal rosette of soft, slightly hairy grey-green to silver foliage. Then stems begin to emerge, forming tall spires that become populated with vivid magenta to hot pink flowers from late spring to early summer. It has a self sowing habit, and so may come up in cracks and gaps in walks and along paths. Grows about 24 to 30 inches tall, though the basal foliage remains about 8 or so inches.
Grow in well drained soil in full sun. A short lived perennial, it will freely self-seed and plant itself in interesting places, but it is never pushy or overwhelming. Don't deadhead, as the flower stem emerges upward from the base of the previous flower, moving up the stem. Tolerates dry, poor soils.