Lobelia Species, Cardinal Flower, Red Lobelia

I've had a hard time overwintering Lobelia cardinalis and its hybrids. They form an evergreen rosette that does not seem to like having m...Read Moreulch on it.

"Lobelias are not true perennials, because the flowering stem and its associated roots die after setting seed. They are perennial in effect only because new offsets grow from the axils of the lowermost leaves and quickly put down their own abundant white roots. It is especially important, then, that these new offsets be coddled a little in the fall."--- William Cullina, Growing and Propagating Wildflowers

L. fulgens is not a synonym, but a separate, tender species native to Mexico and Central America.

L. x speciosa is the grex name given to hybrids between L. cardinalis and L. fulgens, which are hardy only to Z8/7.

Lobelia cardinalis is the reddest red I've ever seen, nearly psychedelic in its intensity. It draws hummingbirds and bumblebees every ye...Read Morear. I have it placed in rich soil which stays more moist than other areas and it gets full sun until about 1:30 pm. The reseeding is reliable, with rain storms washing the seeds in a little river to the cracks in the flagstone patio adjacent to the bed. Lobelia's root system is very distinctive and can help identify seedlings if you are pulling "weeds" and come across one. Roots remind me of a stark white mophead, with many strings emanating from the crown in all directions, quite close to the soil surface. Red Lobelia does not like to be mulched in winter, even though it is a temptation to place a blanket of needles on top, I resist. Snow I can't control, however. Heights become taller as the division gets older and stronger. I have stalks going to 4 feet normally and some a bit beyond. It transplants easily to share with others and is forgiving about root disturbance. Seedheads are drying on the stalks right now, October. Seeds resemble reddish dust, they are so small. This native plant is an eye-popper when in bloom and never fails to draw attention of garden guests.

I love planting this native to help attract hummingbirds and other beneficial creatures. In the South where I live they prefer shade and...Read More wet soil. I often find them growing along creeks, rivers and in boggy areas that have standing water for several months at time. Here they grow fine being submerged for long periods of time. They do best in rich and heavy soils.

Excellent hummingbird nectar plant. Vertical flower stalks. Grew best here in full sun, good moisture. It bloomed most heavily in August for me.

I Love this plant and so do the Hummingbirds!
They grow tall...very tall...mine grew 4-5 feet! The blooms are vivid red and they ...Read Morebloom during a time when many plants are finished, in late Summer to early Autumn.

I have them growing in two different beds, one partly sunny and one mostly shady. Almost every year in early Spring the mostly shady bed gets a little flooded.

This past Spring that bed was under about 2-3 inches of water as Spring thaw combined with heavy rains. That flooding lasted about 2 weeks.

Naturally, I assumed all my plants would be lost. Surprisingly, some of them survived...and thrived. One of them was Lobelia Cardinalis (Cardinal Flower).

Unfortunately, my first attempt at growing Cardinal Flower failed, possibly something wrong with the plants I purchased. They grew beautifully to about 12 inches tall than suddenly wilted and died.

I wasn't about to give up. The next year I planted a few more from a different source. They thrived, but that's when I learned they don't bloom the first year. However, the next year they bloomed and bloomed and bloomed and the hummers were there constantly!

They, apparently, aren't long-lived, but they will self-sow so leave them standing. You can also collect the seeds and I've been told that if you divide the roots those will bloom the first year you plant them. After this year I will probably divide them as I definitely want more of these plants!

September 2012(First time growing this plant)
I wanted something for the hummingbirds so I ordered 4 plants from Forest Farm nurse...Read Morery a mail order catalog based on the reviews on this site..They say this plant is okay with zone 5 and will reseed easily. The plants arrived on August 30th and they look great..They are about 6-12 inches high and a single stem with new growth on the bottom. (I will have photos in my journal and will be included in my review of ForestFarms) I let them settle and acclimate then planted them on Sept 4th in an area that appears to remain damp at the end of a septic line. I am really hoping this is enough moisture for them to go wild with with additional water from me of course. Other plants have not done as well in this area due to the dampness so maybe I found the one that will flourish. I will post again thier status as the growing season comes to an end and update if they come back or not next year. (I will update photos in my journal about this plant as I also like to see how it grows.)
**August 2013**
Well here is my update, I am happy to report that the plants have gotten pretty tall with very pretty flower heads on them. The flower color is so amazing I want to plant more. Yes these are def the back of the border plant due to thier height. I have also found mine are easly knocked over by the dog walking by them so I have now inclosed them inside fencing. Yes the hummingbirds are visiting and since they are the only pollinators of this plant I hope we get re-seeding. I would love to have a clump of them here and there but with my soil I am not holding my breath on seeds starting. I will certianly be adding them to my must purchase more list for 2014!!
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Summer 2014
They up and disappeared, the orginal plant nor the seeds came back. I do still have some seeds but kind late to start them.

We have a few wild cardinal flowers that grow near a saltwater marsh in partial shade. They don't compete well with the other plants eve...Read Moren though I see them occasionally in other wooded areas on the island.

I planted several giant lobelia and cardinal plants this past Spring. We had a very mild winter here on the SC coast so the deer shouldn't have been hungry. However, they nailed all the ones planted in the sun, literally tore them out of the ground and those in the shade have been eaten to the ground twice.

Excellent perennial for boggy/wet garden spots. Does well in sun or shade. Excellent nectar plant for hummingbirds.

I see these growing wild here in the area, I have observed that these plants like moisture and can handle some shade, I almost always see...Read More them growing on the creek bank. Something to consider when planting.

I love this flower and have tried to grow it from smaller than gallon size with no luck. I have great luck with lobelia speciosa fan deep...Read More rose in gallon pots, so will try this from gallon pots this year. I'd say in my zone 4 garden they are less happy in partial shade than they are in part sun. Could have been too dry in one part shade spot also. If you need a gorgeous red, this is it--crossing my fingers!

I would like to add this plant to my shade garden area. Do you know if it will tolerate growing with a Black Walnut tree nearby? I have f...Read Moreerns, hostas, primroses, and heucheara (sp?) that grow well in that spot. Anyone with experience on this?

I like this plant, but....when I planted the plants they were brilliant red blossoms. This year (the 2nd or 3rd year) the 2 plants are n...Read Moreow a deep, dark intense purple. Is there something that would cause the color change? I have not been able to locate any information about this plant changing it's color. They are still very beautiful, just not the brilliant red they were when I planted them.

This plant is the superstar of my perennial garden.

The color is a brilliant true red that is very attractive to hummingb...Read Moreirds. Like another poster noted, the hummingbirds do guard and compete for this flower.

As another member also noted, the color is extremely vivid and will not compliment some other red flowers. My reds are limited to Crocosmia 'lucifer' and shrub roses for this reason.

This plant grows to about 5-6' tall in my garden. It is planted behind a birdbath in rich soil where the roots are in constant moisture and consistent shade. The flower stalks are in full sun.

I started with 3 mail order plugs a few years ago and now have a scattered clump about 2' square that has over a dozen flower stalks.

The large plants make "babies" at their base and spread in this manner. Also, flower stalk cuttings can root by cutting off a few of the flowering stalks low enough to include about 8" of leaves, then sticking the stalks deep into consistently wet soil. The plants also reseed reliably.

I've gotten skilled at identifying its very small seedlings so that I can transplant them; I've had no luck moving large seedlings or plants. This plant is very sensitive to having it roots disturbed. When I removed a nearby plant midsummer, the cardinal flower beside it died.

I wish this short-lived perennial didn't dissolve right before my eyes. It was hard to see that I bought such a nice looking plant in hop...Read Morees it would continue on in my garden. It feathered out in the middle of some daylillies. I left it alone. It didn't like to be watered a lot so I watered once a week. It didn't survive. I hope this helps for those who live in my area.

I have seen this plant growing wild along the river north of my house. I plan on purchasing some in the spring to add to my hummingbird/b...Read Moreutterfly garden. I am going to try planting it in a container to make a boggy kind of habitat for it, since this plant likes wet conditions.

An interesting plant that is a maroon color with bright red flowers and an upright growing habit. Hummingbirds really like eating from t...Read Morehe flowers. Here in Michigan these are considered a wildflower, however, for some reason they seem to act as an annual and only live for one growing season. Sometimes these become top-heavy and require staking and tying.

All of mine came up as surprises...I have no clue where they came from. They self sow profusely. I have harvested the seeds and they h...Read Moreave never let me down...and grow just about anywhere I have spread the seeds. The hummingbirds flock to them and seem to stake them out as part of their territory, so they are a wonderful asset to any garden.

I have successfully rooted cuttings of this plant under a glass jar in a pot of miracle grow on my shady front porch. I have the red-vio...Read Morelet or magenta colored form of the wildflower. It is not a hybrid.

For decades I admired Lobelia cardinalis when I would encounter it in Massachusetts wetlands. I also found it when I lived in the Midwes...Read Moret and in Texas. Now that I am back in New England and have my own garden, I decided to try to grow this beautiful wildflower.

I purchased a plant in May 2008 from a reputable area nursery. It had three stalks. I planted it in a sunny location, and gave it plenty of water. As time went by, more stalks sprouted. I then bought four more plants. These four did not survive, probably because they were planted at a time when we had 90+-degrees weather (the heat was not helpful to the plants already stressed from transplanting). This year (2009), the first plant I had bought last year came back, strong and healthy. The nursery replaced the four plants I had lost last year.

All but one of my plants have flowered beautifully, and hummingbirds have been paying frequent visits!

My plants are now getting ready to make seeds. For this year, I think I'm going to leave the plants alone to see if they self-sow. The intensely pure scarlet red of this flower makes it worth the effort to try to get it to grow in the garden.

October, 2012

Over four years since I first planted my L. cardinalis I've watched them gradually spread. This year, I even found one that took root in a crack in the sidewalk near the garden! I made sure it was protected, and it happily flowered along with its companions.

My L. cardinalis plants get about 4-5 hours of direct sun in the summer. I found that, for my circumstances, I need to "flood" the area where they're planted at least once a day in the hot weather to make sure they stay hydrated. The reward? Several weeks of beautiful flowers on sturdy stalks. While they were in flower, the hummingbirds visited dozens of times each day.

One of the most intense, deep red flowers. The only drawback is that it will make you realize how your other red flowers aren't as inten...Read Moresely red as you thought in comparison. It is must in a native rain garden, and likes well-drained soil that gets a bit more rain runoff than usual (swales and depressions in your garden). It can tolerate some drought as well, as it is very deep rooted.

As others have said, it is a hummingbird magnet supreme. We have honeysuckle, trumpet vine, columbine, monarda, royal catchfly, etc., but none of our other hummingbird-attracting plants draw them like cardinal flower.

It looks really good interplanted with its sibling great blue lobelia (L. siphilitica) with its blue flowers matching the cardinal flowers in intensity of color, and their similar bloom time.

It is a shorter lived species than siphilitica, but as some have pointed out reseeds readily. Still, in a mature native garden with lots of assertive species, you may need to add a few plants from time to time. You'll probably find yourself adding a few more plants in future years just because you want more of it as time goes by anyway.

I have had enormous success with this lobelia, which I planted from 4" pots. The first year, they just sort of sat there (like most pere...Read Morennials), but each successive year the plants have done wonderfully, and I have divided them several times. They are extremely easy to grow and only require being consistently moist, and not allowed to dry out.

A great brilliant red !

This is 37" out of the pot and doing great. I got it when is was very small and it's just doing great in 10b ZONE.....

I ...Read Morewas a bit confused at the beginning because the flower arose from a stem that was over an inch wide. Infact it looked like more of a stalk then a stem. Hap

Hummingbirds flew to the plants as I was carrying them to the backyard after purchasing them at Lowe's Garden Center.

Humm...Read Moreingbirds fiercely guard my Lobelia cardinalis, sometimes even chasing me away from them.

Easily grown and propagated.

The hummingbirds would not leave this flower alone. It survived the winter and came back in my zone 5. Always a positive. I did need to s...Read Moretake the flower stalk a bit in the midwest winds.

The pH requirements listed for this plant are questionable. It grows in the Appalachian Mountains wild, but the soil is very acid. I also...Read More see it growing in ditches regularly. I don't think it needs good drainage. It may tolerate soil that is mildly alkaline but my experience is that it likes acid soil.

While I have not yet tried to grow the domesticated version of this plant at my current Zone 7 location, when I lived in a Zone 6 mountai...Read Moren area of Virginia, I had quite a few of the wild plants growing along the marshy edges of a stream that flowed thru a dense woodland area of my property.

The plants were truly lovely & the flowers seemed to "glow" in the dense shade. A really true brilliant red. With all the deer we had there, they never touched these plants, so I assume that this might be a good plant for gardeners with a moist shady area + a deer problem.

This plant has a beautiful, firey red flower. In cold winter areas much to protect from frost heaving. In the warmer winter areas winter ...Read Moremulch may rot the crowns. This plant selfsows prolifically. pokerboy.

The Lobelia species contains alkaloid lobeline which is poisonous in large doses but in small quantities is used in a number of medicinal...Read More preparations used quit smoking, revive persons from drug overdoses or as a psychoactive drug.

An interesting historical account relates that cardinal flower and lobelia, in sites in Nebraska were found in close association to historic Pawnee villages, suggesting the Pawnee introduced and cultivated it. Another source relates that Cherokee medicine men cultivated it for medicinal purposes.

This plant pops up in the shady dampish back water marsh areas of the Wisconscin River (zone 4b). But ut never seems to show up in the s...Read Moreame place two years in a row.

Hummingbirds like this. Great late bloomer in my area when most bright colors have faded.

I have just planted a Cardinal Flower Lobelia in a damp area. I hope it will survive there. I bought it at a watergarden nursery.

excellent pond plant

a hummingbird magnent.

I found these plants flowering near the bank of the lake where I live. I am watching carefully for ripe seeds for my garden. The flowers...Read More are absolutely beautiful and blooming when my late season garden could use a big shot of dazzaling color like this.

The plants I have produced large, showy spikes of red flowers. It definitely prefers moist soil and will grow from seeds if the soil con...Read Moreditions are favorable. This flower is a hummingbird attractor.

An upright perennial native to North America.

Has lance shaped, mid to bronzy green, shiny, toothed leaves borne on reddis...Read Moreh or green fleshy stems. Bears 2-lipped, bright red flowers on tall flower spikes.

Flowers July - September

Loves a moist but well drained soil in sun or light shade. Make sure the soil never dries out for too long.