code: 691
The bright pink flowers appear throughout spring
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Common name: RED CAMPION, MELANDRIUM RUBRUM
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 30 cm
Maximum Height: 90 cm
This lovely flower is often found in the wild growing in woodlands and on the verges of country roads, where it shows its rich green leaves usually for 12 months long. The bright pink flowers appear throughout spring and summer and are often to be found open at any time of the year. It is found throughout central, western and northern Europe, and locally in southern Europe, and interestingly it is dioecious, a botanical term that means the male and female flowers are carried on separate plants.
Sowing advice:
For best results, sow seeds immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. However, we sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, and often wait for spring before emerging regardless of when they are sown. But spring sowing will obviously give them a full season of growth if successful germination occurs.
