We think the native cardinal flower is underutilized in a lot of North American gardens so we can't give you a chance to get a beautiful cultivar of it here. Bronze/Green foliage makes this plant a great transition for other more colorful plants in the spring. By early summer into fall Lobelia will begin to pop, lighting up your garden with spikes of unique cardinal red flowers.

This is the perfect plant for damp to wet locations and a great addition to the rain garden. We selected L. speciosa because it is more tolerant to a variety of soil conditions and can grow anywhere from wet to drier soils where moisture is maintained. Best grown in partial shade where soils are drier, it can be planted in full sun as long it stays consistently moist. We recommend deadheading spent blooms to increase the volume and length of flowering. Leaving foliage through the winter will protect the root zone, mulching is also recommended to shield the roots from freeze and maintain moisture.

Photo Credit: Walter Gardens

General care for any tree or shrub is easy, but like any living thing will require your attention. Please educate yourself and follow these simple rules.

Lobelia speciosa Starship Scarlet Bronze Leaf

This is the perfect plant for damp to wet locations and a great addition to the rain garden. We selected L. speciosa because it is more tolerant to a variety of soil conditions and can grow anywhere from wet to drier soils where moisture is maintained. Best grown in partial shade where soils are drier, it can be planted in full sun as long it stays consistently moist. We recommend deadheading spent blooms to increase the volume and length of flowering. Leaving foliage through the winter will protect the root zone, mulching is also recommended to shield the roots from freeze and maintain moisture.