Description of Lychnis flos-cuculi (Ragged Robin)

Lychnis flos-cuculi is ragged robin, a classic damp meadow plant with airy pink flowers. It is ideal for natural bog gardens and damp meadow edges where you want light, delicate colour in late spring and early summer.

Appearance

It forms a low rosette then sends up slender stems with deeply cut, ragged flowers. Flowering is often May to July depending on site. Height in bloom is usually 40 to 60cm. It can self-seed in open damp soil.

Care Guide

It prefers moisture and light. Heavy shade reduces flowering and makes stems flop.

Sun: Full sun to part shade.
Soil: Moist soil with organic matter.
Water: Keep damp through spring and early summer.
Deadheading: Deadhead for tidiness, or leave some seed heads for self-seeding.
Division: Split clumps in spring if needed, though self-seeding is often easiest.

In natural planting, letting it seed is a simple way to keep it going without fuss.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This suits bog gardens on the upper damp zone and in meadow-style edges around ponds. It looks best mixed through sedges, rushes, and other meadow flowers rather than planted in a tight line.

Place it near paths so you can appreciate the flower detail up close.

FAQ

When does Lychnis flos-cuculi flower?
Usually late spring into early summer.

Is ragged robin a bog plant?
It is a damp meadow plant, so it suits the upper edge rather than saturated centres.

Will it self-seed?
Yes. It often self-seeds in open damp soil.

Does it need full sun?
Sun gives the strongest flowering, but light shade can work if soil stays moist.