It is one of the smallest flowers in the garden right now, but due to its color it’s one of the loudest. (I can relate.) Refusing to be ignored, the flaming magenta hue of this Lychnis floats atop a much quieter puff of gray-green wooly foliage. While I’m not a fan of its structure (leaves low to the ground, long stems, flowers floating aloft), the color alone (and its re-seeding prowess) has kept it in the garden for a number of years.
This is one of those flowers that illustrates the power of color, and how the bold ones advance while softer ones retreat. I can always spot the first lychnis bloom, no matter how seemingly hidden by tall grasses and unruly wisteria vines it may be.
As I mentioned, I’m not a fan of its form. There’s a lot of middle space between the foliage and the blooms that remains empty. Some consider this look appealing, I myself do not. It gives it a bit of a gangly, weedy air.
But for that kind of color, I’ll compromise.
