Would you grow Red Campion in your garden?

PeterJarvis

Have you ever grown Red Campion in your garden?

Loads of it around the fields near us, but I wonder if it will work in our garden.

What's your advice?

Lyn

I let it grow on the banks but not in the garden,  it would take over.
Every little seed head contains hundreds of seeds which all germinate.
Nice to let one or two grow, but be very vigilant with dead heading.

thevictorian

I have and still do. It's a really lovely plant and I don't think its problematic to either grow or control. I also grow the white silene latifolia, which spreads a little more but doesn't cause any problems. They are both great plants for this time of year. We use the white for the sunny areas and the pink for more shaded places as it does so well in our local woodlands.

Fire

I would if I had more space. Great for wild life - esp the pink/red kind.

fidgetbones

I grow it in my wild patch.  It does tend to be fairly prolific once established, but not that difficult to remove.  I have also added ragged robin to my boggy area next to the pond.  Ox eye daisy is more of a thug.

Nanny Beach

I do in a wildflower area around fruit trees. It doesn't go mad or self seeds here.

Busy-Lizzie

I have it down the side of the drive, but most of the flower beds are the other side of the house and it isn't growing there.

wild edges

Lyn said:

Every little seed head contains hundreds of seeds which all germinate.

Amazing looking things up close though. I like to grow the white campion but it doesn't do well up here sadly.

jonathan.cole

Yep. We actively encouraged it. Now have a few clumps under the hedge, in the shady wild patch and under an apple tree. Easy to mow it if it sneaks elsewhere in the grass.

Buttercupdays

I do too. It's a lovely plant, flowers for ages. I let it grow where it wants as long as it isn't adversely affecting other plants, because it is easy to remove and acts as as a good place holder, keeping less desirable things at bay.

Fire

It can get very crusted with black fly very quickly, which is a downside (I think) in a small, very visible spot.