Silene ssp. This large genus has more than 500 species spread around the northern hemisphere in annual, biennial, and perennial forms. Hortus Third makes an interesting comment in closing its botanical description; "The name has three syllables." Clearly, a lot of people besides myself pronounce it wrong.
Orientalis A good perennial for cutting, each mounded plant putting up 15-20 slender stems of hot pink lychnis-like flowers in dense clusters. Forms a low leafy clump the first year, followed by a brilliant show in year two. There is mass confusion online and in catalogs over whether this a biennial or perennial, but my favorite old argument solver, Hortus Third, splits that baby by saying, "...biennial, or ... pricing and more
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