Lychnis fulgens Seeds | Scarlet Catchfly
LATIN NAME: Lychnis fulgens
COMMON NAME: Scarlet Catchfly
Plant Profile
Scarlet Catchfly (Lychnis fulgens) grows as a clumping, perennial in the carnation family. Over seasons it steadily builds a rounded crown, standing 5-10 metres at maturity. Full sun is ideal, in deep, fertile ground. These traits together are what have kept the plant in gardens for so long.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the carnation family, Lychnis fulgens is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Species has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of meadows and open ground of eastern Asia. Nothing exotic is required: standard seed-sowing practice, done carefully, is enough.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Scarlet Catchfly has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Ecologically, the Chinese lychnis is a generous plant of summer meadow. Its vivid flowers feed bees and butterflies and other insects, and its leafy growth gives cover, while it brings a brilliant colour to summer border and open ground. Its economic value lies mainly in horticulture. Thereafter it wants only the ordinary attentions any garden plant receives.
Campion flowers are cottage-garden classics with bright silk petals; their folk-medicine footprint is small, their pollinator value large.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Scarlet Catchfly under ordinary good conditions. Sow the seeds evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, keep the sowing evenly moist, and give the pot or tray full sun. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
It forms a clumping, perennial, which makes spacing and siting straightforward. Scarlet Catchfly settles in quickly once it finds its footing. From then on, routine care is all that is required.
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