Mid-Atlantic Gardening: End of summer flowers, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
I have a couple questions about my tall, red Cardinal Flowers. They are still hanging in
with a few blooms, but the stems were so tall, that they have long bent in in half
and are a mess to look at.

--These are perennial--right?
--How do they multiply? Me thinks from the roots getting bigger and bigger clumps.
Then you dig up and divide the root-ball. Right?
--The tall stems have, what looks like a lot of seed-like round "pods" all along the stems.
I have looked in some of them--but there is nothing (seeds) there. It has been rainy--so it is a mess...
Do Cardinal Flowers make seeds? How big are they?
--If I collect some of these "round thingies"--and dry them--will there be seeds inside???

Also---I want to dig these up and move them to my "YUK" bed. This bed can use some tall plants
in the background--as I already have a pretty massive New England Aster there--which I bought just
3 years ago on clearance. It is assuming quite a "presence" in this bed. It is also starting to bloom.
I have dug up two areas on either side of the .NE.A. and want to move the Cardinal Flowers there.

Questions:
--Can I cut the plants back NOW and then dig them up? It is pretty much done for the season.
--How low can I cut Them back? I am thinkinf to "manageable stumps.

Mind you---even if I do not get the answers to my questions--I will do what has to be done anyway.
I just appreciate some more experienced opinions here....This are my FIRST Cardinal Flowers.
My Pakistani neighbor gave me a pot of it. She separated hers (only 2 years old) and came up with 5 new pots.

Pictures:
1--The cardinal Flowers in July
2--The same today...They have been like this for a while now...
3--The bent over stems. Can you make out the little seed(?) bumps along the stems?

Thank you! Gita