Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Sun
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet
Soil Type: Loam, Sand-Loam, Organic matter helps retain moisture
Height: 2.5 - 4 feet
Spread: 1 foot
Blooms: July, August, September
Root: Taproot
Habitat: Wet Prairies/Meadows, Floodplains, Edges of ponds, streams, marshes, Moist depressions in woodlands
Landscape uses: Pollinator gardens, Low area garden, Wet Meadow plantings, Pond edges
Complimentary Plants: Joe Pye Weed, Great Blue Lobelia, Bebbs Sedge, Fox Sedge
Wildlife Value: The nectar of the flowers attracts the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and various Swallowtail butterflies. Sometimes the larger bumblebees will steal nectar through slits in the tubular corolla.
Seed Origin: Blue Mountains, Ontario
Germination Code: C(60), D
Photo credits: #1/2 by Sundaura Alford-Purvis
Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinal Flower
Cardinal Flower is an beautiful plant for moist garden areas or shores of ponds and streams. Basal leaves develop first follwed by a rising show of scarlet red flowers. Plants with red flowers typically attract hummingbirds; sometimes they also attract Swallowtail butterflies because their compound eyes, unlike those of bees, can detect the color red. Ensure soil stays moist during hot summer spells and sprinkle seeds on raked soil before winter to promote expansion of this plant.