A pretty Mediterranean native that comes in a more or less bright pink, as well as in a reddish pink color (Centranthus ruber coccineus) and white (Centranthus ruber albus). It’s fairly heat and drought resistant with occasional deep watering.
It is supposed to bloom from May through August. In this hot Mediterranean garden it will bloom from April through June and then again in September and October (with smaller flowers).
There are smaller varieties called Centranthus angustifolius or lecoquii with a Filippy drought tolerance code of 5, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Centranthus works with most kinds of soils, whether gravelly and dry or heavy and wet, but it prefers poor and chalky soil as well as place in the sun or at least in the half-shade. It does reseed itself but doesn’t become really invasive in this region.
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