Orange Gnome Catchfly

• Full Sun (At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)
• Height 12 - 15 Inches
• Width 12 Inches
• Growing Zones 3-9

Wow! That color! Those leaves! Can you already hear the compliments when you plant this eye catching neon orange Lychnis in your garden this spring? A dwarf version of ‘Vesuvius’, a lychnis x arkwrightii cultivar, Orange Gnome will make a wonderfully spicy addition to your informal garden bed or landscape border. Its shorter, compact foliage, with a surprising purple bronze cast to the dark green leaves, is a perfect complement to the neon orange flowers held on top of the stem above. One and a half inch orange flowers with unique bifurcated petals literally glow in your full sun garden. You’ve probably seen these unique petals before. Orange Gnome is a complex hybrid cross of Lychnis coronaria, better known as Rose Campion! Ah, now it makes sense!

Rose Campion is a native wildflower in Europe, Western Asia and North Africa that has escaped gardens across the United States and has naturalized in some areas, especially in New England. They are hardy, short-lived perennials that self-sow but do not become invasive. Orange Gnome is even hardier than its parents, growing in Zones 3-9 with ease. This means all gardeners in the United States except the very hottest regions can grow this bright perennial. Its compact size and bright colors makes it a wonderful addition to a cool color palette perennial, think whites and blues and purples.

Orange Gnome Catchfly Care

Orange Gnome is a very tough, site tolerant perennial in many ways except one. While it tolerates a wide variety of soil types, poor to fertile, and a wide variety of soil pH, acidic to alkaline, it must have one consistent component...a consistently moist, well draining soil. It flowers best in full sun. So the task at hand is to provide a full sun location with a soil that can be kept consistently moist. Consider using a soaker hose or drip irrigation with a good quality mulch cover on the ground to help retain moisture. Fertilizer is generally not needed, but to amend particularly poor soil add some well composted organic material to the soil at the time of planting.

Deadheading is recommended to encourage new bud formation. Flowers last up to two months and then will produce an attractive seed pod. Remove spent flowers to extend the bloom period and toward the end of bloom cycle, consider leaving some seed pods to encourage reseeding as this is a short-lived perennial. Winter preparation can entail adding fresh mulch to cover the root zone although this little perennial is hardy to winter temperatures well below zero.

Orange Gnome Catchfly Spacing

Spacing your Orange Gnome plants is important to prevent plant diseases from forming. Although they grow to 15 inches tall and spread out 12 inches wide, go ahead and give them 12 inches of space between plantings. This will promote good air circulation which is the first step toward preventing plant diseases. You are going to really enjoy the unique fiery color of this summer blooming perennial as it adds a pop of color not usually seen in summertime gardens. Plant it in drifts of color for a mass presentation along a driveway or sidewalk edge, or pop it in a patio container for a complementary contrast to your annual planters. You are going to love this flower!

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