Silene flos-cuculi | ragged robin

Wildflower coveted by the most stylish gardeners

Ragged robin is one of my favourite perennial plants. Flowering from May to August with delicate, finely divided petals in a strong pink held on tall thin stems above narrow smooth and lush leaves. That ragged appearance to me is as contemporary a style icon as flowers come.

I’ve rarely seen this wildflower in the wild but when I have, it’s been magical. Ragged robin originates from all across Europe to Siberia, plus all surrounding islands as well as Iceland. Which is interesting from a distribution point of view. In the UK - where our natural habitats are among the most decimated in the world - ragged robin is declining due to the draining of wet meadows, its natural habitat. Ragged Robin, Silene flos-cuculi is in the same plant family as pink campion, Silene dioica.

In our big meadow, we had one ragged robin plant when we moved in, which has multiplied to a grand total of three plants over the five years since. Slowed down by the wild roe deer nibbling the flowers off before they co…