Bladder Campion Seeds

Bladder campion is the wild herb Italians pick every spring for risotto and frittata, and its tender young shoots taste sweetly of fresh peas. Silene vulgaris is a native perennial of meadows and field edges, with narrow, blue-green leaves and, from early summer, white flowers sitting on swollen, balloon-like calyces. Sown in a bed or a large pot, it gives a reliable supply of shoots to steam, saute or stir into eggs and rice dishes. The flowers are scented in the evening and feed moths, making it a useful plant for a wildlife-friendly garden too.

Sowing and growing

• Sow outdoors March to June, or in a cold frame September to October
• Depth: sow thinly and only just cover; light helps germination
• Germination: 2 to 3 weeks
• Sow where it is to grow if possible, as seedlings dislike being moved
• Position: full sun, in free-draining soil; tolerates poor, dry and chalky ground
• Height: 30 to 60 cm; spread about 30 cm
• Harvest: pick young shoots and leaves once plants are established, mainly in spring; flowers June to August
• Lifecycle: hardy perennial that returns every year

What you receive: a packet of about 250 open-pollinated seeds from Piccolo Seeds, with growing instructions on the back.

Bladder campion is one of three wild greens in our Foraging Wild Herbs seed collection. Browse more plants for wildlife and pollinators and the full seed range.