122 A LITTLE BOOK OF PERENNIALS 



Lychnis — Rose Campion, Mullein Pink, Flower of 



Jove, Double Ragged Robin, Cuckoo Flower, 



Corn Cockle, Jerusalem Cross, Maltese Cross, 



Scarlet Lightning, German Catchfly 



For the different parts of one's garden there are many good varie- 

 ties of Lychnis. Two of these are known as Agrostemma. Double 

 Ragged Robin and Cuckoo Flower are both common names of Agros- 

 temma, Lynchis Flos-cucuU. This plapt, with narrow, grass-hke, 

 grayish foliage, grows from 12 inches to 18 inches high, forming a tuft, 

 and producing many small, delicate, tassel-like flowers in short sprays 

 of rose or soft pink, which are very attractive to the bees of the neigh- 

 borhood. Ragged Robin is in bloom continuously from May through 

 August. The Mullein Pink, Dusty Miller or Rose Campion (L. or A. 

 coronaria) is a very striking plant. The stems and leaves are a downy, 

 silvery gray and the Pink-like flowers are a cerise scarlet. It grows 

 2 feet or 23^ feet taU and is in bloom during July and August. 



The Maltese Cross, Jerusalem Cross or Scarlet Lightning (L. 

 chalcedonica) is a tall, loose growing plant with hairy stems and leaves. 

 The foliage is similar to that of Sweet Wilham and from each plant 

 several straight, strong flower stems rise to a height of 2 feet or 3 feet 

 and have immense heads of vermilion-scarlet flowers. This is one of 

 the most brilliant of the old-fashioned flowers. There are white 

 flowered forms of this species. The German Catchfly (L. Viscaria) 

 grows only about 12 inches high, has dense growing, evergreen foliage 

 and fragrant, deep red flowers. There is a sticky, viscid area below 

 the flowers. L. Haageana has single, orange-scarlet flowers, shaped like 

 those of Maltese Cross, and grows a foot tall. Most of these varieties 

 have double forms which are really as interesting as the single ones. 



Uses. AU of these varieties are used for cut flowers, in pereimial 

 borders and rock gardens. They make a fine bedding plant because 

 the period of bloom is extended over the Summer months. 



Culture. Lychnis is very easy of culture. The plants like 

 sandy, weU manured loam in fuU sunlight. Those varieties suitable 

 for the rockeries grow weU in dry soils. These are one of the best groups 

 of plants for withstanding droughts. 



Propagation. The best method is by division of the plants in 

 Spring, although aU the varieties are easily grown from seed which 

 blooms the second year after being sown. 



