How to Grow Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Cardinalis)

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen, and in this segment, we're going to learn all about lobelia, or cardinal flower. It's a great Native American flower. So, lobelia cardinalis is native to the whole eastern part of The United States and North America. So, it's a wildflower, and when the first pilgrims came and pioneers came they found it, and saw that it was so beautiful. It has bright red flowers, and they grow to be about three feet tall, and they do great in wet, wet conditions. They like zones three through ten, so they're very hardy. They can grow in the coldest of climates. And a great part too is after they're done blooming you prune em' back and cut em' to the ground, and they'll set up a whole nother' set of blooms that you can enjoy for many years. And they're frost hearty, and they like white loam and lots of compost, so they like sun to part shade, and really wet conditions in the summer, but they don't want a lot of water in the winter, so it's a hard spot sometimes to find the perfect location, cause' they can rot out if they're in a really wet area for the winter, but yet, in the summer they like sitting in a bog. And you can start em' by seed or by the root, and they're really easy to grow. Just put em' in the ground; just cover the roots, or put the seeds out in the spring after the last frost, and they'll come up and bloom the first year. They're a gorgeous addition to your garden."