One of my favorite plants. The bloom stems grow taller than the main plant and I cut mine back when they are done blooming. My reasons for this is because they can fall over and look messy and it takes very little seeds to have lots of these plants everywhere.... I have them growing in my driveway in the gravel and they came from me driving through there with my wheelbarrow enroute to the compost pile. LOL
So my advice for what it's worth - grow them, leave just a few to dry on the stem, spread those seeds around and trim off the others. Really pretty low maintenance for such a lovely cottage flower.

Thats been my expierence too, and the other nice thing is, you will eventually have lots of nice babys to share and trade with your friends.

hi ThinMan, don't put it right near the front of the bed - you probably already know that.

It does get snaggly as it ripens it's seeds - so don't let it go to seed. But, what doesn't get a little ratty as it goes to seed? Keep it deadheaded and just let one or two little pods ripen later in the Fall. The seeds are quite small, like coarse-ground pepper, so two pods may be 100 seeds!

I'm not too devoted to 'themed' beds, you know = color-coordinated... but I will grudgingly admit Rose Campion can be a wee tad hard to look agreeable with other plants due to the blossom color. I call it Screaming Pink. It loves hot, dry sunny areas so I have paired it with Sundrops (oenotheria Misourianis), Shasta Daisy (spectacular!), pale pink Petunias, annual candytuft (pastels; pink, lavender, white) in previous years.

This year some volunteered right between bright yellow Yarrow and brilliant blue Bachelor Buttons for a delightfully bright greeting out front. While not 'ideal' that they are all exactly the same height... they look too wonderful for me to care.

Keep in mind (if you mind that is) the foliage is soft, and gray, and slightly furry, sorta like Lamb's Ear. You may want to avoid positioning it next to other gray-foliage plants or you'll have no contrast.

jmtcw, GH-

A perennial that I MUST deadhead or it will re-seed like wildfire. Also available in a lighter, softer pink and white.
Libby

Oh, how I need to get some of these. I love the color - magenta! I had one come back this, but that's it! I guess I'll have to plant some more next year.

It's funny that this thread appeared, because I've been thinking so much about this flower recently. I have loved this flower since my next-door-neighbor had it when I was a little girl. But I have SO MUCH OF IT now because it really does self-seed prolifically. I have a garden that looks fantastic when that and the oenothora (sp?) are blooming, but it starts to look really bad this time of year. I'm always hesitant to cut it down, but I should be braver since I have so, so many-I couldn't possibly need all they seeds they will disperse. Also, I now actually have more Lychnis Coronaria 'ALBA' and "OCCULATA" than the magenta Rose Campion.
Lynn (whose previous garden web name was "LYCHNIS LYNN" )

A belated thank you to all who replied. I have three grandkids, ages one to three, in the house this week and believe me, there hasn't been much sitting around time. Thanks to your help, I am definitely going to put in some rose campion as soon as I can. In fact, I would like to start some in the next week or so, along with some lupines, hollyhocks, and foxgloves for next year.

This is probably going to sound pretty cheap, but does anyone have a few extra Lychnis seeds that they would be willing to send me? I'd be happy to send a self-addressed stamped envelope. The usual places I buy my seeds don't carry the rose campion, and I kind of hate to place an order with a new company for only one packet of seeds. I am going to participate in the fall seed swap, but I'd like to get these going in time for next year's bloom. I have a few seeds saved that I could trade right now: lupine, chives, forget-me-nots, foxgloves.

Great information, folks. Thanks again.
And gottagarden... beautiful combination in your pic.

ThinMan

Hi...I'd be happy to send you some seeds. Just e-mail me your address. No need to send me the postage.

I have some seeds from the white kind ('alba') if you would like them. And same as Tricia, there is no need for postage.

I'll send you my email through your member page.

I love rose campion. So easy. I have the white with a rose blush. Lately I've become enamored with the bright colors so I may start growing the screaming pink variety. I love GottaGarden's combination. Here's a picture of it in my garden. It looks white in the photo, but it has that pretty blush of pink close up.

Thank you very much to Tricia and Flutterby. I have taken them up on their very kind offers.

ThinMan

I love the magenta color. I'm very fond of screaming pinks, blues and purples.

Wow! I have never seen the white ones before. I would LOVE some seeds from the white, if anyone would be willing to share some. I have a TON of the pink seeds if you would like to trade!

The magenta Rose Campion plants in my garden are pretty special to me. The original plant dates back to at least my great-grandmother. It has been a pass-along plant/seeds in our family ever since. My daughter now has it in her garden and I would hope that the tradition will continue to future generations. This is a picture from spring of this year......

Lynne

{{gwi:426315}}

I've been debating the very same thing! What beautiful pics y'all posted...I'm going to have to try some, too! I need some mid-height bright flowers. Do you scatter the seeds in fall or early spring?

HW

Not to sound rude but I call it a weed along with lambs ear. they are very pretty but they self sow everywhere I dont' want them.

Just when I was thinking "no more flowers", you posted all these lovely pictures of rose campion and lychnis!......Now I need them.

I love flowers that reseed rampantly.

How nice to read that someone else's plants/seeds came from a family member. Mine also came from my Grandmother and I always think of her when I mess or look at them. Mine are just now starting to bloom.

{{gwi:702958}}

Oh Ladies!
The photos are just lovely!

Could I gently persuade either of you to share some White Campion seed with me, as well? (PLMK)

My Grannie had it growing in her gardens and I always adored it, but did not know what it was called.

Here is a LINK to Moosey's Country Garden. She is situated in New Zealand. I simply love her photos and wit!
She has beautiful gardens filled with rose-covered arches and many different colors of Lychnis growing under them and along her garden paths. Me LIKE Lychnis!

LYCHNIS: http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/gardenc/red-lychnis-flowers.jpg

HOME PAGE: http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/

~ SweetAnnie4u

Hi everyone,

Great discussion! I really like rose campion too. I agree with everything you've said, especially about it getting a bit ratty when it goes to seed, and about the color being hard to place in color themed gardens (which mine never are, lol). Great plant though. I also call the color "screaming pink", and I love it. The whites and pinks are great too.

Right now I'm growing a fun variegated-leaf type with white swirls on the fuzzy grey leaves. Hopefully they'll bloom for me next spring (they're just mid-sized seedlings now--about 25% of the seeds came out variegated). Fun!

Has anyone tried the double-flowering form? I've seen it in a few catalogs and have been tempted. The flowers look like small carnations--really neat. Apparently it rarely-to-never self sows, which some folks might like. If you've tried it feel free to share.

Thanks again,
Grant

Hey I love this!!! Does anyone know if it does well in the sauna we call Dallas? If anyone is willing to share for SASE I would promise to be your slave for life, or at least try not to kill it as promptly as I manage to kill most else (which is why I have nothing for the swap)
Karen the plant murderer.

A month ago, I thought it was a lovely plant. Now flowering's died down, it's a horrible, brown, sickly-looking thing that I'll be hacking back any minute now.

It's okay as a filler, but not in my top 10 of plants.

Hi Karen
I am happy to send you some seeds. I just need your address. No idea if they work in Dallas though,but you can give it a try!

Hi everyone! I just bought a ton of these seeds on Ebay, and was wondering now if they will grow well in my area. I am in the desert blast furnace, otherwise known as Phoenix. Does anyone have experience with rose campion in extreme heat? I'm willing to experiment with them, but would like to have at least a little idea of what to expect. Also, from reading your previous posts I thought I would throw out there that if ever you think you can't find a particular seed variety, check Ebay. I have found seeds and seedlings there of things I couldn't find anywhere else.

I have a question about collecting seed from Rose Campion.
This year I planted both the white variety and the "screaming pink" as someone called it above.

The white is extremely easy to collect seed from, once the flowers die off, the seed head and seed is very obvious and easy to shake the seeds right out. Doesn't seem to be the case on the screaming pink variety. It flowered at the same times as the white, and while I collected seeds from the white about a month ago, I'm still waiting to see them on the pink? The flowers have mostly died off, and I see the same seed head as the white - but I don't see any seeds inside?

Has anyone else had this experience and can help?

Thanks!
fiwa

Karen- (I'm Karen also) R.C. do wonderful in Arlington,Tx