I would like to introduce the plant Fire Pink, Silene virginica. According to the Digital Atlas of Virginia Flora this plant is not native to Northampton and Accomack counties. The Flora describes habitat as ‘mesic to dry forests … tolerant of a range of soil and rock chemistries, and soil moisture conditions.’ While I am not growing Fire Pink in the woods around my yard, I did hope to add some color to the garden after the daffodils, herbaceous peonies, and the bearded iris blooms had faded. This garden bed is dry with sandy soil. I have found Fire Pink to be a welcome addition to my garden.
I can not yet address the ultimate plant success – develop seed, sprout, develop seed – but most web-based descriptions do mention Fire Pink will reseed. It is known as a short lived perennial, persisting 2-3 years. The leaves are opposite, lance shaped. Scarlet-red flowers with 5 notched petals are borne from late April in loose clusters.
I obtained the seeds for Silene virginica from Prairie Moon Nursery in January 2024. I placed the seeds in a recycled salad box with drainage holes set into the ground outside topped by hardware cloth. Transplanted into the garden in the spring of 2024, two copies survived as basal rosettes into and through the 2024-2025 winter. There was a lot of dry summer and winter cold to get to May 2025. I am impressed by the flowers.
Fire Pink, Silene virginica
Sources:
Assessed 05/16/2025 vaplantatlas.org
Assessed 01/11/2024 www.prairiemoon.com
Best site for pictures and plant description:
Assessed 05/16/2025 www.illinoiswildflowers.info
