Silene Atropurpurea

Collected originally on an Alpine Garden Society trip to Ipiros in Greece, this rarely-seen, showy, hardy perennial opens bright heads of deep reddish-mauve flowers in loose sprays during summer, above the evergreen rosette of basal foliage. If grown in a very well-drained spot, this plant will slowly evolve into a tight rounded shrub, and considering its origin, it is very well adapted to a dry situation.