How to Grow Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Cardinalis)

This native North American perennial (meaning it comes back year after year) brightens up the flower and shrub border with its scarlet flowers. It grows single stalks that are 3 to 4 feet high, with flowers appearing along the top half of the stem in summer and early autumn.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bypass Pruners
• Garden Hoses
• Garden Trowels
• Hand Cultivators
• Mulch
• Plants
• Plants

Caring for Cardinal Flower

1. Make sure the planting area does not dry out.

2. Fertilize each spring with a light application of organic fertilizer.

3. Cut back the old stems to the ground in fall or late winter using bypass pruners. Be careful of any new growth that shows.

Choosing Cardinal Flower

4. Buy cardinal flower at nurseries throughout the year in mild climates and in spring through summer in colder regions.

5. Look for plants sold in 4-inch to 1-gallon containers.

6. Choose plants that show active new growth in spring.

7. Choose plants that are branched at the base; they will grow more than one flower stalk.

Planting Cardinal Flower

8. Break up the tight roots, if they are pot-bound, with a hand cultivator - a tool that looks like a claw - before planting.

9. Plant cardinal flower in full sun or, in hot areas, in partial shade. Plant in soil that stays moist.

10. Plant cardinal flower in back of lower-growing perennials and ground covers on the border with shrubs and other perennials. Cardinal flowers make a flashy contrast to purple and yellow flowers.