Forum home Wildlife gardening
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Would you grow Red Campion in your garden?

2»

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited May 2022
    I bought a cultivated variety (can't remember the name) from a supermarket last spring that I planted in a west facing border.
    I haven't noticed any seedlings 

    Just found the name - Silene 'Rollies Favourite'


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    If I had Jellyfire's garden I would grow jungles of it.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    That's pretty much like the wilder bits of my garden  @Jellyfire :)
    Most of mine are not quite ready to flower but there is one small plant that is well away and it has very dark pink, narrow petals. I find a lot of variety in mine. One year I went round and collected a whole range of different petal shapes and colours and was amazed at how many there were, some changing the effect of the whole plant.
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    I get a fair amount of colour variation too, I’ve never really compared the petal shapes though, will have to do that when it stops raining (Which hopefully won’t be too soon!)
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    This year one emerged in our orchard and we are delighted as we had sown a wildflower mix many years ago. I will try to gather seeds so that I can sow them in different areas of the orchard.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    We seem to get two forms, one has a dark calyx as well as deeper red petals, the other a green calyx. I prefer the darker one.
  • Yes Ive actively planted it and it is the star of my wildlife plot. Flowers for ages, great colour. Yes it spreads and can be prolific but as long as not trying to grow it as a meadow plant (because it isnt one) then its great for native invertebrates. It is a food plant for over 30 species of UK invertebrate.
  • UffUff Posts: 3,199
    Yes there's masses of it in the wildlife garden and I noticed yesterday that there's one white one amongst the clump of red. All mine are from seeds scattered 3 years ago and the white wasn't there last year. 
    SW SCOTLAND but born in Derbyshire
Sign In or Register to comment.