Red campion

Sun

Partial shade or full sun where the soil stays moist; afternoon shade is helpful in warmer climates.

Water

Keep the soil moderately moist, especially while plants establish and during dry spells. Avoid prolonged waterlogging.

Soil

Humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil; tolerates clay, loam and chalk and a broad range of soil pH.

Height

1.5-3 ft (0.45-0.9 m)

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Rosy-pink, deeply notched flowers from late spring through summer, sometimes continuing into early autumn.

Foliage

Softly hairy, oval green leaves in opposite pairs, with lower leaves forming a basal clump.

Growth

Moderate to fast

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.46 m)

3. After 2 years

   2 ft (0.61 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.2 ft (0.68 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Native to

the UK

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water during prolonged dry weather rather than letting the root zone dry out completely.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; rich feeding is usually unnecessary.
• Mulch around plants to conserve moisture, keeping mulch clear of the crowns.
• Remove unwanted seedlings while small, especially near smaller border plants.
• Divide healthy clumps in spring if they become crowded or flowering declines.

Pruning. Cut spent flower stems back to the basal leaves after the main flush to encourage fresh growth and possible repeat flowering. Leave a few stems to ripen seed if you want replacement plants, then remove dead growth in late winter.

Late winter

Remove dead stems without damaging emerging basal growth.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps and water them in thoroughly.

Spring

Apply compost and a light mulch; thin crowded self-sown seedlings.

Summer

Water in dry spells and cut back spent stems for a possible second flush.

Late summer

Allow selected seed capsules to turn brown, then collect seed before they shed.

Autumn

Sow fresh seed in pots outdoors or in a prepared patch of soil.

• Plant in loose groups along a lightly shaded woodland edge with ferns and primroses.
• Weave through cottage borders for informal pink flowers between larger perennials.
• Use in a moist wildflower planting where self-seeding is welcome.
• Plant beneath open deciduous shrubs to soften their edges and provide summer flowers.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Woodland, Wildflower, Wildlife garden, Pollinator garden and English country.

Plant it with: Foxglove, Primrose, Wood avens, Hardy geranium, Lady fern and Meadow cranesbill.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects, including butterflies. Male and female flowers are usually carried on separate plants, so seed production normally requires both sexes nearby.

• Slugs and snails may eat young growth; check emerging plants after dark and use barriers or wildlife-conscious slug controls where needed.
• Aphids can gather on soft shoots; wash them off with water and encourage natural predators.
• Powdery mildew may affect crowded or drought-stressed plants; improve air circulation and water the soil during dry spells.
• Plants may flop or flower poorly in deep shade or heavily fertilized soil; move to brighter light and avoid high-nitrogen feeding.

Red campion is not generally known as a poisonous garden plant, but reliable species-specific information for cats, dogs, horses and people is limited. It contains saponins and should not be treated as edible; avoid ingestion of any part, as substantial amounts may cause digestive upset.

Where it spreads. Can self-seed freely in moist gardens, particularly in the UK and other cool, temperate regions. It is introduced and naturalized in parts of the United States and Canada; keep seedlings out of nearby natural vegetation where it is not native.

• White campion (Silene latifolia)

  Usually has white rather than pink flowers, which are especially conspicuous and fragrant in the evening; hybrids with red campion may have pale pink flowers.

• Ragged robin (Silene flos-cuculi)

  Its pink petals are divided into narrow, ragged strips rather than the broad, two-lobed petals of red campion; its leaves are also narrower.

• Rose campion (Silene coronaria)

  Has conspicuously silvery, woolly leaves and stems, with flatter, usually stronger magenta flowers; red campion has green foliage.

The species name dioica means 'two houses', referring to the male and female flowers usually growing on separate plants.

Propagation. Sow seed in pots outdoors in autumn or spring, covering it lightly; germination can be uneven. Divide established clumps in spring. Seedlings may vary, and red campion can hybridize with white campion where both grow.

Accepted botanical name

Silene dioica

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Finland, France and Føroyar.

Measured

Soil pH 7 to 7.5. Average height 30 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.