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Silene chalcedonica |
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Synonym(s) |
Lychnis chalcedonica |
Common name |
Maltese cross |
Family |
caryophyllaceae |
Life cycle |
perennial (Z4-8) |
Flowers |
red (May-June) |
Size |
3' |
Light |
sun-part shade |
Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
From seed  |
Easy, start at room temperature detailed seed-starting info below
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Seed ripens | mid-July |
In early spring, these plants make oh-so-neat clumps – but come late spring, the flower stalks zoom upward, brighten up the garden with bright red flower clusters, and all too often, flop about a bit for a somewhat untidy appearance. We cut them down right after the flowers fade, after which they go back to being appropriately tidy. I still think of this as Lychnis chalcedonica, but the botanists have decided otherwise.
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| knobby kidney-shaped seed |
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We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston. Seed for this plant is included on my seed trade list About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Silene chalcedonica
Visitors to this page have left the following commentsmike | Apr 12, 2011 | would like to know about any practical usages of the Lychnis such as insect repellent, sore joints or just anything besides beauty. |
Jan | Jun 24, 2014 | I would like to buy some seeds from lychnis chalcedonica. I purchased some on line and they look like poppy seeds -- not the kidney shaped seeds pictured here. For seed trade or purchase requests, please contact me directly using the link at the bottom of this page. |
K-Mi | Jul 23, 2015 | Do they get more then one bloom if you cut them back? I've not experimented with deadheading these. Other lychnis (silene) species are reported to prolong their bloom with regular deadheading, so it's worth trying. |
- Seed from '07 garden. Baggy 70F (55%G, 8-14d)
- Same seed as above. Baggy 70F (90%G, 4-9d)
- Seed from '06 garden. Baggy 70F (93%G, 8-10d)
- Seed from '12 garden. Baggy 70F (90+%G, 5-7d)
- Seed from '13 garden. Baggy 70F (27+%G, 7-10d)
I must have done something wrong in 2008 and 2014...
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Last modified:
February 03, 2019
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