Silene virginica / Fire Pink (Pink Family)

Bright red flowers in a woodland setting are really something special. Fire Pink looks great planted in groups and will be more likely to draw the eye of hummingbirds. Plant with other woodland plants, like ferns and sedges, where the red can really shine, This shade loving wildflower also checks the hard to fill box of preferring drier, rocky soil over the typical moist woodland conditions. It can be short lived, but some reseeding is likely. Basal foliage is evergreen in our climate.
Blooms: Red, 3-4 weeks, May-July
Leaves: Spatula shaped, simple, sticky, dark-medium green, occurring mostly towards the bottom of the plant
Height: 1-2’
Space: 1-2’
Soil: Average-dry, rocky, sandy
Exposure: Part sun-Part-shade
Fauna: Hummingbirds, butterflies
Seeds: Brown, pebbly seeds in a sticky, urn shaped capsule
Deer Resistance: Low
Zone: 4-9
Native Status: NC native, common in the Piedmont & Mountains, uncommon in the Sandhills
Provenance: East TN ecotype, seed grown