Photo: J. Patrick Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Perennial · Caryophyllaceae

Red campion

Silene dioica

In other languages: Dagkoekoeksbloem (Nederlands) · Silène dioïque (Français)

Red campion is a native wild plant of woodland edges, hedgerows and wooded banks in Belgium and much of Europe. It forms a loose clump of softly hairy leaves, from which branched stems up to 60 cm tall rise from April to July, carrying bright pink flowers with five deeply notched petals. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. It is a short-lived perennial that self-seeds easily, so it still stays in the garden for years. Gardeners choose it for a wildlife garden, a wild hedge or a woodland edge, where it attracts bees, bumblebees and butterflies. There is also a double form, ‘Flore Pleno’.

Caution: Self-seeds easily, even into paths and between other plants. Cut off the faded stems before the seed ripens if you want to limit this.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Partial shade or shade
tolerates little sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
any pH
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -30 °C
Size
0.6 m
tall, 0.3 m wide
Flowering
April–July

Key facts
Pruning months	June and October
Height	0.6 m
Native to Belgium	Yes
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees and butterflies
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	April–July

Identify

Red campion: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Loose clump of leaf rosettes with branched, hairy flower stems up to 60 cm tall and 30 cm wide.
Leaves: Oval to oblong, opposite, softly hairy and dark green. The leaf rosette often stays green in winter.
Flower: Flowers about 2 cm across with five deeply two-lobed petals, in loose clusters.
Colour: Bright to deep pink, rarely white.
Sex: Dioecious: male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Only the female plants set seed.
Fruit: An egg-shaped seed capsule with teeth that curl outwards; the seed falls around the plant.

Flowering: April–July · Sowing: April–May and September · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: June and October

In your garden

Why grow it?

Native and a true wild plant: bumblebees, bees and butterflies visit the flowers.
Flowers for months, from April to July, and often again after cutting back.
Thrives in half shade under a hedge or at a woodland edge, where many other flowering plants give up.
Easy and tough: grows on sand, loam or clay.
Self-seeds and so fills empty spots in a wildlife garden by itself.

Red campion: where does it grow best?

Half shade or light shade, such as along a hedge, under trees or at a woodland edge.
Sandy, loamy or clay soil, acid, neutral or chalky; humus-rich soil is best.
Normally moist; in a dry summer flowering is shorter.
Plant 30 cm apart, in small groups or scattered between other plants.

Light: Partial shade and shade
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Not fussy
Moisture: Normal
Size: 0.6 m tall, 0.3 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

Cow parsley: White umbels in May along the hedge: together a classic roadside picture.
Bluebell: Blue bells in April and May under trees, beside the pink campions.
Foxglove: Tall flower spikes in June, also a plant of the woodland edge.
Greater stitchwort: White stars in spring along the same hedgerows.
Ferns: Green fronds that keep the shady spot calm after flowering.

Maintenance

Red campion: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

Plant in March–May or in September–October.
Loosen the soil and work in a little compost or leaf mould.
Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot, about 30 cm apart.
Firm the soil and water in well.
You can also sow: scatter the seed where it is to grow in April–May or in September and barely cover it.

Care

Water: Only during long dry spells, especially in the first year.
Feeding: Not needed: too rich a soil gives weak stems that flop over.
Cutting back: In June, cut the faded stems back to just above the leaf rosette: this gives a second flush.
Self-seeding: Leave a few stems to set seed if you want young plants; it is short-lived and renews itself this way.
Tidying: In October, cut away the old, dried stems; the leaf rosette stays.

Tip: In June, cut back half the stems and let the other half keep flowering: you will have flowers all summer and still some seed for new plants.

Red campion: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June and October.

When: After the first flush, in June, for repeat flowering, and a tidy-up in October.

How:

In June, cut the faded flower stems back to just above the leaf rosette.
Leave some of the stems if you want it to self-seed.
In October, cut off the old, dried stems; leave the leaf rosette.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: Sow in April–May or in September, where it is to grow or in a pot. The seed germinates easily; thin the seedlings to 30 cm.
Seedlings: In spring or autumn, lift self-sown young plants and move them.
Division: Older clumps can be carefully divided in March or September, but sowing is easier.

Red campion: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: a native plant that needs no protection.
The leaf rosette often stays green in mild winters.
Leave fallen leaves where they lie: as at a woodland edge, they protect and feed the soil.

Diseases and pests

Too many seedlings: It self-seeds easily. Cut off the faded stems before the seed ripens and weed out unwanted seedlings.
Anther smut: A fungus that fills the anthers with dark purple spores instead of pollen; affected plants set no seed. Remove them completely.
Floppy stems: In soil that is too rich or shade that is too deep. Do not feed and cut back after flowering.
Aphids and slugs: On young shoots. Natural predators usually deal with them; otherwise hose off aphids and pick off slugs in the evening.

Through the year

March: Plant. Move young self-sown seedlings.
April: Flowering starts. Sow in situ.
May: Full flower. Sow or plant.
June: Cut back after the first flush for repeat flowering.
July: Second flush. Leave a few stems to set seed.
August: Collect seed from female plants.
September: Sow and plant.
October: Cut away old stems. Plant.

Use

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.
Butterflies: Nectar for butterflies.

You and this species

Did you know?

‘Dioica’ means ‘two houses’: male and female flowers grow on separate plants.
It readily crosses with its relative white campion; the offspring often have pale pink flowers.
A smut fungus can hijack the plant: infected female plants grow anthers full of spores instead of setting seed.

Garden plants · All species