Maltese Cross blooms in early summer with four-foot stalks of bright scarlet flowers. It was an early import to the American colonies, and was listed in Bernard McMahon's 1804 broadsheet as "Scarlet Lychnis." Jefferson sowed it in one of the oval beds at Monticello in 1807.

Sow the small seeds for this perennial (barely cover them) either indoors in spring or outdoors in spring or summer. The plants need a sunny location and are winter-hardy in USDA Zones 3-9.

Approximately 120-140 seeds per pack.

Line Drawing by Lucia Stantonzone3, zone4, zone5, zone6, zone7, zone8, zone9