Not in fragrance or stature, size or volume, this Rose campion, a variety of Lychnis, packs its powerful punch simply from its color alone. It’s striking blend of fuchsia, magenta and rose contrasts stunningly with its subtle and elegant gray-and-silver-green leaves, which have an intriguing furry texture lending further allure. As mentioned, the flowers alone are small, held aloft on slender stems that rise from a short mound of leaves, and then go to seed in the slender form of a poppy seed-head (like little salt shakers). These disperse the seeds, which are generally pretty prolific, ensuring the continued legacy of their biennial form.
I planted one of these many years ago, entranced solely by the color of the blooms, not expecting them to last beyond two or three seasons, but they have persisted, and quite powerfully. Seeded biennials produce a crop of leaves the first year, then flower the second, producing a big batch of seeds to carry on. As a lover of perennials, I found such unpredictability annoying, but like foxgloves and hollyhocks, they have proven perennially satisfying. Their smaller stature also means that while they may not grow precisely where they are wanted, I can live with their malleable direction. Flexibility is required when dealing with certain plants, and the color they produce is worth it.
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