Lobelia Species, Blue Cardinal Flower, Great Blue Lobelia

They say it's short lived, but mine is five years old and still going strong. It's a ~2.5' tall clump with ~10 flower spikes covered wit...Read Moreh blooms, just starting to open up now. Bees love it. I haven't had any problems with invasiveness or self-sowing, but it's hemmed in by other plants on either side. I'll try to collect some seedlings this fall to grow elsewhere in my garden.

Bought this for use at a farm because it had a tag in the pot "Deer won't eat this!". Deer in Maryland chop it down to stumps.

Having grown this native plant by using one small seedpod found in a creek setting, I later returned to disperse more seeds to make up fo...Read Morer my removal. I grew dozens easily in winter sowing jugs. The small Lobelia seedlings were robust enough to survive the separation after being tugged apart from the large clump inside the jug. They were eventually positioned on the shady, moist north side of my home, a match for the conditions in which I found the original plant. The shade of blue is captivating. Bloom time is August and September here in southeast PA. I noticed a vast number of seedlings appearing earlier this summer and will pot them up for gardening friends.

I can't wait to have the problem of too many seedlings b/c it spreads aggressively. Just getting to know this plant but its quickly becom...Read Moreing one of my favorites.

My favorite flower! Beautiful and very long blooming, with long flowering stalks. We have those in our front yard in front of yews and bo...Read Morexwoods and get a lot of compliments for those. Easy to grow and low maintenance, with mid summer to fall blooming period. Heavy clay soil and get not much water there, and it's north side with part shade, but doesn't stop it from thriving. We also have on the side of the house where it gets morning sun, and it is the most outstanding flowering plant we have. I love those deep blue flowers!

It's invasive in my garden; however, I do appreciate the late-season color. I bought one plant two years ago, it got ahead of me, and no...Read Morew it's "everywhere"! I think I have over 50 plants here and there in the 20 feet or so around the original. I plan to dig quite a bit of it out, and leave just a clump or two. My recommendation is to be on guard for seedlings, and be sure to dig them out right away where they are not wanted. Perhaps prompt deadheading would help.

Blooms late summer to fall here. It's a wildflower in Illinois, often found in wet ground, marshes, and fens. Mine grow quite peacefull...Read Morey in the garden with no special H²Oing consideration. These plants self-seed but mine haven't portrayed any invasive characteristics. Butterflies and hummers are attracted to their flowers and being a relatively late bloomer they can be a major attractant.
Reportedly native Indians (Mesquakies) finely chopped the roots and secretly mixed them into the food of a quarrelsome couple to rekindle love lost. Other tribes used it as a cure for syphilis (probably influencing the siphilitica part of the scientific name) and other ailments.
These plants self-seed but mine haven't portrayed any invasive characteristics. Butterflies and hummers are attracted to their flowers and being a relatively late bloomer they can be a major attractant.

I love this plant, but I warn others that given a wet location, it's an aggressive spreader. I planted one in a very wet area of my gard...Read Moreen, and there are seedlings everywhere. They're all blooming, so at least there's that, and they are easy to pull out, so I thin them out periodically. I have some in a full sun, hot, dryish bed that does beautifully, but hasn't spread babies around. I absolutely love this plant though: a beautiful blue.

Intense blue flowers, on the violet side of the color. It mixes well with its sibling, cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), with it sim...Read Moreilar bloom times and very intense, deep red flower. It doesn't draw hummingbirds like cardinal flower, but they do feed on it.

The plant file notes that it has above average water needs, but this isn't entirely accurate. As with many prairie natives, it can tolerate periods of drought, as it has very deep roots. It does best when it is in a low-lying spot, such as a swale or raingarden, with well-drained but occasionally flooded soil. Ours does fine going several weeks without any rain or watering once established.

A very pretty, easy to grow plant. Other names include Lobelia syphilitica, Blue Cardinal Flower, Great Lobelia, High Belia. Light aids...Read More germination of seeds. Blooms in August - September in my garden.

The flowers attract bumblebees primarily. Less common visitors include hummingbirds, butterflies, and Halictid bees. The latter group of ...Read Morebees collect pollen only and are non-pollinating. Most mammalian herbivores don't eat this plant because the foliage contains several toxic alkaloids, chief among them being lobeline and lobelanine. These toxic substances produce symptoms that resemble nicotine poisoning. However, it has been reported that deer occasionally eat this plant, perhaps enjoying greater immunity to these toxic substances than other animals. The seeds are too small to be of much value to birds.

I bought mine in Spring at my favorite nursery in Oakland, I transplanted it in a new pot in semi-shade, got a lot of water, was beautifu...Read Morell, and very blue, I had never seen one before, new plantlets are growing at the base of the original and I can't wait to see it take off again.

This is native in my zone 5 area. We found several stalks of it this year growing in the weeds around our pond. It's in full sun, but h...Read Moreas very wet feet. It shares the same terrain as our cattails.

We're going to try collecting seeds this year. It would look great in a mass planting. Ours grow in very narrow spikes with little lateral foliage or stalks.

It must spread by seed, but only a little. We find small growths of it here and there in our field.

Native to my area in southern Arkansas, this beauty thrives in intermittent stream beds, as well a in a pot on my sunny deck. Semi-shade ...Read Moredeepens the intensity of the blue.

I have seen these grow on rock walls along river banks. They are spectacular and inspiring, to say the least!

I really like this particular variety - it shuffles itself around the planting bed and parks where it is happiest! It is not invasive (l...Read Moreike goose-neck loosestrife), just puts a clump or two around the bed. And blooms just when the summer bloomers are fading! What a great plant!

Easy from seed--will even bloom a little the first year! Great for the butterflies and hummingbirds. The foliage is a handsome dark green...Read More. A group of these is just specatacular in the late summer garden.

This plant is much easier to please than the better-known Scarlet Lobelia, so that most gardeners should be able to find a place for it i...Read Moren their landscape. It tolerates full shade, but blooms much better in full to partial sun.

Native to North America, produces spikes of blue flowers in late summer. The plant grows well in moist to wet soils and so is useful near...Read More water. The plant may be short-lived but will tend to reseed.