Annuals & Biennials

Silene
Silene
campion, catchfly

- Height 1/2-11/2 ft (15-45 cm)
- Planting distance 6 in (15 cm)
- Flowers late spring to early fall
- Any well-drained soil
- Sunny or lightly shaded site
- Hardy annual

Campion and its many cultivars are easily grown, hardy annuals valued for their prolific flowering through summer's warm weather. The slender stems carry delicate five-petaled cup-shaped flowers in attractive shades of blue, lilac, pink, and white, with contrasting centers. They are suitable as cut flowers. Their fragile appearance belies their robust growth habit, and they are seen to best advantage in large swaths in cottage-garden beds and borders; the dwarf species and cultivars are ideal for rock gardens and as edging.

Popular species and cultivars
Silene coeli-rosa (now classified as Lychnis coeli-rosa, but still commonly listed in catalogs under the older name) grow 11/2 ft (45 cm) tall, its slender stems set with oblong gray-green leaves and topped with white-eyed rose-purple flowers in succession from early to late summer. Several cultivars are popular 'Angel Hybrids' grows 10 in (25 cm) high and can be purchased in blue, rose-cerise, or as a mixture. 'Fire King,' which grows to 10-15 in (25-38 cm) high, bears vivid red blooms. 'Treasure Island Hybrids,' 1-11/2 ft (30-45 cm) high, come in soft shades of blue, purple, pink, crimson, and white. Silene pendula is rather different, growing only 6-9 in (15-23 cm) high. It is the most widely grown of the annual species, forming compact plants ideal for edging. The erect stems bear loose clusters of pale pink flowers above mounds of pointed, hairy mid-green leaves. Several cultivars are available. 'Dwarf Hybrids' (9 in/23 cm) flower in white or shades of pink. 'Peach Blossom' (6 in/15 cm) is of branching and cascading habit and suitable for hanging baskets. Its stems are covered with a profusion of double flowers that open from deep pink buds to become salmon-pink and when mature turn nearly white.

Annuals
and
Biennials