Mine lasted 2 years. This year, it did not return.

Same here. It was great while it lasted!

Too bad....I guess we should expect the odd plant to behave this way..... perhaps this is why my nursery outlets do not make great effort to propagate and sell LC.... but people extol the REDNESS of this flower so much I will probably try to include it in my florascape....thanks

Does anyone have a picture of this flower? I love all Lobelias,never have seen a red one,sounds very interesting Thanks

Here is a link that might be useful: Northern Gardening Forum

Mine has been returning for years, but in deep shade.

Three years, in shaded raised bed amidst my heuchera and rhodies. First year, wow. Second year, ho-hum. Third year, only a smidgen of flowers, lasting a couple of days.

I tried them twice. Bloomed nicely the first year, but never came back.

I think they like to be in a damp spot.

If lobelia cardinalis is also called maltese cross, ours come back every year. As a matter of fact, they self-seed as well. It's one of our favourites.

Prefers moist areas, such as poorly drained swamp edges that arnt premenantly inudated. When i grew some, they seemd to prefer it much better that way.

Year 3 for me... No Claubill it is not called "Maltese Cross" too....... Here's pic of mine...

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Maltese cross and cardinal flower are two seperate things have had both neither has done well in my gardens past the first year..

If you like blue (as well as red) grow Lobelia Syphilitica, it is very hardy in my "fringes of Ottawa" garden. It seeds itself, not in an agressive way but I do find a new plant here and there as the years go by. It is called Syphilitica because long ago - people believed that it was a cure for syphilis. The flowers are a deep, true blue and it blooms late August each year.

Hi Shapiro,

I am planning on adding that to the yard as well. I tried Lobelia Gerardii this year, when I couldn't find the L. syphilitica. The gerardii is a cross between two native lobelias. One parent is Lobelia syphilitica and the other is Lobelia cardinalis. I really enjoyed them this year..my first year. I ordered them as plugs mail order in the spring. They established very fast and started blooming early and are still in bloom and are a great bright deep purple. I am hoping to collect some seed and try winter sowing them for the spring to increase what I have and make sure I keep having them.

I posted a photo I found below. The photo is of a cultivar of the gerardii.. I am not sure if mine is different. It looks very similar but not exactly.

Adam

Here is a link that might be useful: Lobelia x gerardii 'Hadspen Purple'

I love these flowers! Bought two of them a week ago at our local grocery store garden centre when they brought out the fall display plants. I was thrilled, when I recognized them as marginal pond plants. They're native to this area, and from the link below prefers wet areas (i.e. marsh edges, swamps, etc.) I have both of mine planted in pots in the pond, about 2" below the surface. They're both blooming up wonderfully. I don't have any experience growing them in the ground, unfortunately. I would suggest keeping their feet wet and see how they do!

Good luck!
Victoria

Here is a link that might be useful: Northern Ontario Wildflowers - Cardinal Flower

I bought one this past spring. I had read about hummingbirds' attraction to it. It grew over six feet with about six stalks. It was full of flowers and sure enough, a hummer came by every day. It's in a whiskey barrel. I'm hoping to get some seed from it and grow a bunch next year. I don't think I can count on it coming back after a winter in a barrel. Or can I? It's going to give me a ton of seeds. Anyone know anything about growing them from seed? It looks to be really fine seed.

Dear October 17: If you would like to keep the plant which is now in a whiskey barrel, why not simply dig a hole in the ground and put it in? Like you say, in the barrel, probably won't survive because the frost will get all around it. Just a thought...

I am getting seeds now from my plants and its a fine red seed.I dont know if its easy to row from seeds at all but I will try.I will have seeds to trade this week as I am just getting them sorted out now.

brenda

Brendall,
use this to reach my page.
Martha

Cardinal flower is a wet meadow plant very similar to Prairie plants eventually other species crowd them out. In nature they would probably be grown after a fire or a disturbance.Maybe your plants didnt have enough moisture to develop a strong seed bank especially if there were other species close by that may have been more aggressive. Cardinal flowers also like a little shade. If they were in full sun they might have got to dry.

We have them growing wild on the opposite side of the river behind us. They are wonderful. Beside the river, they grow in full sun, but obviously a moist bed.

However, I have tried to grow them in my garden here, and they last MAX two years. They do not even do well in my bog garden, so now I treat them like an annual.

Mine have come back for the second year but of course they have not bloomed yet. I just love their rich velvety red and thank you for posting the hybrid purple "gerardii" the colour is magnificent. Email me if you have any seed you might swap with me: knottyceltic@hotmail.com

I'm trying to establish a hummingbird/butterfly garden. We've never had any hummers as it's a new subdivision and last year we had a monarch stageing that was simply glorious so I'm prepping my gardens in the hope the stageing happens again. I've got 3 kinds of asclepias and now am working on hummer/butterfly combos.

Barb/knottyceltic
southern Ontario, CANADA

I live on a river bank in Southern ONtario. We have cardinal flower growing in the wild across the river from us. It is amazing to see when it is in bloom. I tried to grow it her, and it fizzled out afte 2 years. It looks better in the wild anyway.

I googled "Lobelia Syphilitica" and found this site. Sure didn't know Lobelia are poisonous. I have two to plant, so will put them outside of where the dog is. He loves veggies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lobelia species

I have tired both cardinalis and syphilitica. Both have died out on me more than once, and neither has ever returned after the first year. Have tried it pondside, potted in the pond with water over the pots, potted in the pond with the pot bottom just wet, and planted in the dry soil at pond edge. Nada! The only thing I have not tried is bare root in the pond.

My Lobelia has been getting better every year. It is on the north-west side of a boulder, so it gets western sun, but not all day. This year it seemed to have re-seeded itself- I have new sprouts (about 12- 18 in.) with bright red flowers. Good thing I haven't had time to weed ;). Too late for my Hummer, though- she's gone for the year.

I have some 7 year old cardinal flowers in my shady-moist garden and many more seedlings and recently one of those came up and had cranberry colored flowers. I also grow Lobelia syphilitica, L. puberula and L. inflata all of which are blue flowered so one of them crossed with Lobelia cardinalis now the seeds are stable as I have produced 3 more generations from the original. ps I have seen this for sale so someone else had the same thing happen.

I've tried different varieties of perennial lobelia. The "cardinal" red variety was beautiful its first year but did not return. The deep fuschia ( grows 18-24" )variety has come back & flourished ( more so in the partially shaded local than in the more sunny location ). The more compact blue flowering with more wispy stems variety is very reliable only requires a few hours of sunshine to flower. I planted a tall purple variety last Summer & I am eager to see if it surviveed the Winter.

I have found colonies of this plant, in the wild, harvested their seed, and hope to expand their grounds. Said colonies are streamside, and most often UNDER water in the winter and spring. I plan to carefully remove plants for my water's edge (same river, just down-stream), but am undecided regarding the best time to so-extricate. Much of my concern has to do with which rosettes are best to harvest, ie., the single plant rosettes, or those with 'babies'?? SO MANY large rosettes this spring, and I wonder, did they similarly exists last fall?? As mentioned, I have harvested seed (last fall), probably a quarter pound of said seed, and will be curiously scattering it in places which are wet, but likely have not been so fortunate to have seed ever reached there. The seed is so small, has little likelihood of being carried by wind or birds. This should be interesting and fun.