Maltese Cross

Maltese Cross

( Lychnis chalcedonica syn Silene chalcedonica )

Maltese Cross aka Burning Love, Flower of Bristol, Jerusalem Cross, Nonesuch a native of Mongolia, Russia & North Western China.

Clusters of scarlet/vermillion red flowers appear on long stems (1m) from a short leaf clump in Mid to Late Spring.

Flowers hold well, and with long stems make an excellent cut flower. Foliage forms a slim leafed green clump to 30cm wide in Winter, growing quickly to full height by Mid Spring to 30cm prior to flowering. A full sun location with very good drainage on unimproved soil will suite this plant, which will happily self seed prolonging the shorter life span of this perennial. Water lightly when needed in Spring & Summer as this plant prefers drier soil.