Bloody Mary Flower

Bloody Mary
Silene coronaria 'Angel's Blush'
(sy-LEE-nee) (kor-oh-NAR-ee-uh)
Synonyms: Lychnis, Mullein Pinks, Rose Campion, Bloody William, Lychnis coronaria

This plant has seemed to undergo a name change to Silene from Lychnis. There has been a large patch at the Estate for many years and I always try and spread the seed each year. There seems to be a good variation of blush on the blooms. There is everything from pure white to almost all pink on my flowers. They bloom about the middle of June.

This plant can grow in some hot and dry conditions and doesn’t seem too fussy about soil. The foliage is a short rosette of pretty silver foliage with the flower stalk getting up to about 24 inches. It doesn’t need staking. It appears to be biennial for the most part but there are always enough seedlings to keep the group going and expanding at a nice (not invasive) rate. I always allow the seed pods to dry before collecting them and that seems to work well.