Silene colorata Pink Pirouette - Catchfly

Silene colorata Pink Pirouette bears a multitude of ravishing flowers that look like tiny propellers in a lovely shade of a slightly mauve pink, throughout the whole summer. With its compact, almost trailing habit, this small annual plant is ideal for borders, rock gardens, planters and hanging baskets. It can be sown in spring or at the end of summer in mild climates. Give it full sun and well-drained soil.

Silene colorata is an annual herbaceous plant native to Mediterranean coasts, where it grows spontaneously among rocks and in sandy soils. This plant of the family Caryophyllaceae, is also a cousin of carnations. It presents fast growth and good hardiness which allows it to be sown early in spring, or even in autumn in milder climates. The variety 'Pink Pirouette' has been selected for its compact habit that forms a sort of spreading cushion. The plant produces a basal clump of small, elliptical to lanceolate, linear, 1 to 3 cm long, fairly light green, velvety leaves, from which 15 cm tall, mostly leafless stems rise. Flowering takes place in summer, lasting many weeks from June to September. Each stem produces flowers measuring 1-2 cm in diameter, made up of 5 spatulate petals rolled up at their tips. The corolla is mauve-pink in colour and is surrounded at their base by a swollen calyx, lined with very noticeable purple veins. The blooms are followed by the formation of numerous fine seeds that germinate easily in light soil.  

Catchfly or Campion are perhaps the prettiest of annuals, because of their incredibly light, airy silhouette and their small brilliant flowers. They enchant flowerbeds and rock gardens, where they form patches of colour that are as bright as they are poetic. 'Pink Pirouette' brings the charm of flowering meadows and of the sunny Mediterranean coast to our gardens. Sow in slightly wild looking beds, along garden paths, in the rock garden. It looks great accompanied by ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Mulhenbergia capillaris. Accustomed to dry soils, Silene Pink Pirouette is a perfect partner for catnips, pink, blue or white love-in-a-mist, pastel-coloured California poppies, dark purple knapweed, ornamental carrots, perennial flax and many others... It is also an excellent plant for hanging baskets and window boxes.