The white and woolly leaved
Lychnis coronaria
, known familiarly as rose campion, flowers in a magenta so bright it's been described as floral original sin. Its common name is thought to be derived from the word "champion" because its blossoms were used to make garlands for sporting heroes. Its genus name -- meaning "for lamp" in Greek-- refers to the ancient use of its leaves as candlewicks (as if the flowers alone couldn't light the way).
Short-lived and self-seeding (you noticed, huh?), drought-tolerant and best in full sun,
L. coronaria
has a screaming presence that works with a surprising number of color combos: grays, lilacs and purples; blues and other magentas; bright yellows if you've got a sense of humor; and with silver and white variegated leaves (e.g.,
Miscanthus
'Morning Light'). It even looks good with its tamer twin, the cultivar 'Alba,' which has the same strong, upright habit and verbascumlike rosettes of fuzzy leaves.
L. chalcedonica
, the Maltese or Jerusalem cross, is less interesting in leaf and habit than rose campion but with a zinging color just as hot to trot. Named after the symbol used by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, an 11th- and 12th-century charitable order, the flowers make a dense head of bright scarlet atop upright, hairy stems. Some say the plant's nondescript foliage is a lot to put up with for a relatively small flower, but it's an old-fashioned favorite that continues to outlast its critics and enchant lovers of red.
German catchfly,
L. viscaria
, offers a better balance of foliage and flower, forming clumps of dark green, grassy foliage and late-spring flower spikes with magenta blossoms. Its common name refers to its sticky stems.
As a last word, let me mention the trendiest
Lychnis
around:
L.
x
arkwrightii
'Vesuvius,' with chocolatey-purple stained leaves and loud orange flowers, an amazing combo on one plant. I've maligned this plant for its temperamental, less than exuberant habit, but watching its foliage emerge, I take it all back. Seeing 'Vesuvius' mixed with bronze-leaved
Crocosmia
'Solfatarre' and 'Rustic Orange' coleus is well worth the price of admission, even if the performance doesn't last.
PLANT PROFILE
Genus:
Lychnis
(rhymes with sickness)
Common name:
Maltese cross (
L. chalcedonica
), rose campion (
L. coronaria
) or German catchfly (
L. viscaria
)
Type:
Biennial or short-lived perennial
Basic needs:
Part to full sun, good drainage
Worst enemy:
Gardeners who prefer pastels
Best advice:
Think carefully about what flowers will be in bloom when the screaming-neon rose campion hits its stride; it doesn't always play well with others.
Hot tip:
For purple and orange all on one plant, check out
L.
x
arkwrightii
'Vesuvius'
PLANTS AT A GLANCE
L. alpina
. Small, tufted rosettes with dense clusters of purplish-pink flowers; only 6 inches.
L. x arkwrightii 'Vesuvius.'
Softly purple hairy leaves on lax stems with hot orange summer flowers; short-lived; to 16 inches. 'Orange Gnome' is half the size of 'Vesuvius.'
L. cognata.
Tough and longer-lived; melon flowers on lax stems; to 16 inches.
L. chalcedonica (Maltese cross).
Dense heads of small but brilliant red flowers with deeply cut petals sitting on upright, hairy stems; likes life evenly moist, takes part shade; to 3 feet. 'Rubra Plena' is double scarlet form, hard to find.
L. coronaria (rose campion, mullein pink).
Rosettes of woolly white leaves and neon-magenta flowers on multibranched stems; heat- and drought-resistant, short-lived and self-seeding. Cutting stems down before seed set may prolong plant's life; 2 to 3 feet. Cultivars include 'Alba' and Oculata' (white with pink eye).
L. 'Abbotswood Rose' (L. x walkeri).
Shorter and more spreading than above.
L. flos-cuculi (ragged robin).
Narrow, grasslike foliage and deeply cut, ragged petals; likes it wet and wild (naturalized). 'Rosea Plena' has double pink-to-deep-rose flowers
L. flos-jovis (flower of Jove).
Rosettes of woolly gray foliage with loose heads of muted purple-pink flowers; likes well-drained poor soil; to 1 foot. 'Minor' (or 'Nana') has bubblegum-pink flowers; 8 inches.
L. viscaria (German catchfly).
Grassy tufts of narrow foliage and very sticky stems spiked with glowing pink flowers; to 16 inches. Cultivars include 'Alba' and 'Flore Pleno' (syn. 'Splendens Plena'), a double form
L. yunnanensis.
Narrow leaves with sticky stems, single or few white to pink flowers; to 8 inches.
-- Ketzel Levine
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