Is Lychnis easy to grow from seed?
Lychnis are tough plants. Left on their own, they’ll self seed willy-nilly. That’s not a bad thing while I’m waiting for other perennials and shrubs to mature. Because Lychnis is very easy to grow & transplant, they’ve become one of my go-to fillers (along with foxglove & snapdragons). From a maintenance point of view Lychnis is easy to look after. All you need to do is dead-head regularly to make sure that your plants continue to produce new blooms. If you allow seed heads to form then Lychnis will put all it’s energy into seed production and then self sow.Lychnis coronaria, with its vivid pink or white flowers and silvery-grey leaves and stems, is probably the most widely grown lychnis and is easily raised from seed.
What is the common name for Lychnis?
The genus name, used by Theophrastus from the Greek work lychnos which means “lamp”, is thought to refer to the use of the woolly leaves as lamp wicks in ancient times. The common name of rose campion supposedly comes from the use of its flowers to make garlands for athletic champions. Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria) is a hardy flowering biennial or short-lived perennial with bright magenta, saucer-shaped flowers that contrast beautifully with silky grey leaves and stems.