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Would you grow Red Campion in your garden?

PeterJarvisPeterJarvis Posts: 123
in Wildlife gardening
Have you ever grown Red Campion in your garden?
Loads of it around the fields near us, but I wonder if it will work in our garden.
What's your advice?
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Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I let it grow on the banks but not in the garden,  it would take over.
    Every little seed head contains hundreds of seeds which all germinate.
    Nice to let one or two grow, but be very vigilant with dead heading.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    I have and still do. It's a really lovely plant and I don't think its problematic to either grow or control. I also grow the white silene latifolia, which spreads a little more but doesn't cause any problems. They are both great plants for this time of year. We use the white for the sunny areas and the pink for more shaded places as it does so well in our local woodlands.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited May 2022
    I would if I had more space. Great for wild life - esp the pink/red kind.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I grow it in my wild patch.  It does tend to be fairly prolific once established, but not that difficult to remove.  I have also added ragged robin to my boggy area next to the pond.  Ox eye daisy is more of a thug.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    I do in a wildflower area around fruit trees. It doesn't go mad or self seeds here.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I have it down the side of the drive, but most of the flower beds are the other side of the house and it isn't growing there.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Lyn said:
    Every little seed head contains hundreds of seeds which all germinate.
    Amazing looking things up close though. I like to grow the white campion but it doesn't do well up here sadly.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • jonathan.colejonathan.cole Posts: 221
    Yep. We actively encouraged it. Now have a few clumps under the hedge, in the shady wild patch and under an apple tree. Easy to mow it if it sneaks elsewhere in the grass.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    I do too. It's a lovely plant, flowers for ages. I let it grow where it wants as long as it isn't adversely affecting other plants, because it is easy to remove and acts as as a good place holder, keeping less desirable things at bay.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It can get very crusted with black fly very quickly, which is a downside (I think) in a small, very visible spot.
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