Lobelia cardinalis 

Cardinal Flower

• Full sun to part shade
• Most often found along shorelines in uncultivated settings, will grow in average garden settings as well. Often short lived (2 to 5 years).
• 24" to 48" tall, 8" to 16" wide.
• Late Summer Blooms
• Garden, meadow and shoreline settings.

I’m pretty sure that these are the most intensely red blooms to ever have graced my garden. I’ve found them relatively easy to grow, but I know that this isn’t the case for everyone. They do tend to be one of the shorter-lived perennials, anywhere from 2 to 5 years. The very first one I planted was rather unceremoniously tucked into an unenriched patch of dry shade in my urban yard, after being purchased from a native plant sale before I actually had the new gardens prepared. It grew and flowered anyway, becoming the ancestor of most of the plants pictured here. In general, they seem to like company, rather than any bare earth around them, a half of a day or so of sun, or all-day dappled sun, and either steady or intermittent moisture. They do just fine with seasonal flooding as well. Blooming season is August and they have grown anywhere from 18” to 40” tall, seemingly dependent on the height of their neighbours as much as any other factor.