My guess would be it was courtesy of the birds who tend to excrete seeds all over my yard. Dainty bright-white flowers with dark green foliage make this an eye-catching spiller to use in container combinations and hanging baskets, where it will trail up to 2 feet. Lobelia is a great cool-season flower for adding vivid blue to the garden. Some perennial varieties, such as cardinal flower, prefer boggy conditions and can even be grown in standing water. As a rule, the lobelia in June blossoms, and blossoming in September comes to an end. Most annual lobelias are self-cleaning, so you don’t need to deadhead them. Varieties of Lobelia available at gardening centers are generally inexpensive, but propagating Lobelia from cuttings can stretch garden budgets even further. Great Blue Lobelia, the blue counterpart of the Cardinal Flower, prefers moist soils and can be found naturally in open, moist shaded woodlands and alongside lakes and streams. In early summer, pinch back plants to stimulate the growth of new blossom-bearing branches. Lobelia Plants. Lobelia Plant: Tips To Grow And Care For Annual and Perennial Lobelias. Tidy bloom-covered mounds are a great choice for use at the front of a border, as an edging along shady walkways, or as a colorful groundcover. Lobelia love the cooler temperatures and reward the homeowner with great looking blooms that are bright and vibrant. On the place of flowers, the set of the fruits representing with a set of seeds boxes is formed. Planting and Growing Lobelia. Install several lobelia plants along the edge of a mixed container garden, such as a whiskey barrel, and display it on your patio. Great blue lobelia (L. siphilitica), or blue cardinal flower, is another perennial wildflower with long-lasting, tall stems that feature bright blue flowers. You can either direct sow your seeds in the spring after all danger of frost or start them indoors 8 weeks before your last frost. You may add a bright hue to your garden by growing these plants. erinus. FlourishAnyway from USA on March 31, 2016: Finding shade loving flowers has been a challenge for me so thank you. Hardiness Zones. Although annual types are widely available at garden centers in the spring, you can also start your own plants from seed, sown indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost date. Remove the leaves from the bottom of the cuttings and dip the cut ends into rooting hormone. Add in rock gardens, butterfly gardens, or in a deer-resistant landscaping design. Low growing forms are ideal for the front of beds and borders, where a quick splash of colour is needed. Fall Color: Hardy From Zone: Hardy To Zone: ? They are both Lobelia. Also a good choice for cut flower arrangements. Trailing forms are popular in hanging baskets, window boxes and containers. High heat can cause lobelia to suffer, but the plants stay in bloom for many weeks in climates with cool nights. They have been thriving in their pots all year, reaching heights of 4-5′, and blooming profusely. Cascading varieties make attractive spillers in hanging baskets and window boxes. CareProvide full sun to partial shade and fertile, moist soil. (For spring planting, mix the seed with moist sand and store it in the refrigerator for 60 days before planting. Noteworthy CharacteristicsIntense blue flowers; heat tolerant. It needs a good, fertil… Use as a vertical accent in containers, well-watered garden beds, and aquatic gardens. They do not attract deer. All forms flower constantly throughout the summer until the first frosts. We follow the garden path to visit the Great Lobelia! The Native Americans used the plants medicinally like aspirin to relieve aches and pains. Because of that, you can space them 1-2′ apart (30-60 cm). Regardless of the type of lobelia you grow, all species grow best in well-draining, but moist to very moist soil. Great blue lobelia (L. siphilitica), also called blue cardinal flower, is another native perennial wildflower that bears long-lasting bright blue flowers. If blooming slows during the heat of summer, the best way to revive them is to cut them back by as much as one-half to two-thirds, followed by regular watering. For annuals, fertilize more frequently or apply a continuous-release fertilizer for flowering plants to sustain them throughout the growing season. Weeds compete with plants for water, space and nutrients, so control them by either cultivating often or use a mulch to prevent their germination. Discover unique garden products curated by the Garden Design editors, plus items you can use to solve problems in your garden right now, and best sellers from around the web. They need shade and soil that is constantly moist. Quite an architectural plant which adds vertical interest to the landscape! Roots should develop in 2 to 3 weeks. Shake the bag to release the seeds. Also try: 'Queen Victoria', with bright scarlet-red flowers with dark maroon foliage, and ‘Ruby Slippers’, with ruby-colored flowers. How To Grow Lobelia Flowers From Seeds # 1 | Direct sow your lobelia seeds in late fall. As native plants Lobelia Great Blue grow easily and are adaptable to moist shady areas. How to grow lobelia Cultivation Bedding lobelia. They are often found along the sides of streams or in moist woodlands. Blend Laguna® Dark Blue, Sky Blue, and White for a greater impact. Laguna® White — Buy now from Proven WinnersL. Lobelias are considered to be easy to grow plants. They can also be grown in containers set in a tray of water on a patio or deck. Photo by: John Richmond / Alamy Stock Photo. Photo by: Age Fotostock / Alamy Stock Photo. Perennials can grow to be 4 feet high. Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica, is a lovely plant late in the growing season, when plants with yellow flowers are usually prominent. Blue lobelia grows as a wildflower and doesn't usually require fertilizer, preferring organic nutrients from compost. Lobelia erinus doesn’t like dammed-up water at all. RELATED: Also try: 'Alba’, a cultivar with white flower spikes, and ‘Blue Selection’, a slightly stouter plant with brighter blue flowers. Laguna® Sky Blue — Buy now from Proven WinnersL. Don't transplant seedlings outdoors until a few weeks after the last frost date. It has, however, been used for medicinal purposes for many years. Usually it will just form a rosette of leaves the first year and bloom the second year, but it can bloom first year from seeds if you get an early start. Great Blue Lobelia Growing Requirements and Care The Great Blue Lobelia doesn’t require much space, as it will send stalks vertically. The great Blue variety can grow up to three feet in height and nearly a foot wide. Question: Can blue lobelia survive winter in pots? What sets the Lobelia apart from the other container plants is that they will not bloom in temperatures that are close to 80 degrees. Plant in a potting mix rich in organic matter. Success! Lanceolate serrated leaves alternate along the stem, culminating into tiny bracts amidst the bell shaped blooms. Troubleshooting. This seed won't germinate if it's too warm (over 75F). Growing Lobelia Plant. Once, home, the bag is opened so that the capsules are exposed to the air for a few days. Lobelias are slow to establish and most gardeners grow them from nursery transplants. For late summer blue blooms these are the ones to choose. In hotter regions, less sun is preferred to keep them blooming longer. This flower since 1861 is cultivated. Germination will occur in 14 to 30 days. New plants develop in the form of leafy rosettes on the sides of the parent plants. The stalks are cut below the capsules, and placed upside down in a per sack. Lobelia seeds are extremely small and fine-textured but are easy to cultivate if started indoors eight to 12 weeks before transplanting out – generally, two to four weeks after your last frost date. If growing by seed indoors, start plants 10 weeks prior to last frost date for your area. Bred to be more heat tolerant than other varieties. Lobelias tolerate full sun to partial shade, but prefer some shade in hot climates. The stems are 2-3 ft. tall and clustered with deep throated flowers that hummingbirds love. See more of our favorite blue flowers for your garden. It is hardy in zones 4 through 8. The stalks are cut below the capsules, and placed upside down in a per sack. All Rights Reserved. In late summer stems are topped by spiky racemes of intense blue-violet florets. Rejuvenate plants in midsummer by cutting back, to maintain bushy growth and encourage repeat flowering. Over-crowding causes them to grow poorly and encourages disease. Lobelia erinus ‚Techno Up‘ Blue, Garden lobelia Watering. Plant in full sun to part shade. Generally growing 2-3 ft. tall (60-90 cm) and spreading 12-18 in. Some varieties bloom white or pink. * Required FieldsWe will never sell or distribute your email to any other parties or organizations. It’s easy to divide them. Harvesting. Perennial lobelias are useful for difficult wet locations in full sun or partial shade. This long-blooming hybrid bears flowers on tall, upright stalks and thrives in moist conditions. Lobelia is a great cool-season flower for adding vivid blue to the garden. The capsules can be collected in autumn, usually October. Use your garden shears to cut several 4 to 5-inch pieces of stem growth from the donor Lobelia plant. Developed by plant breeders to stand up better to hot summers than other trailing lobelias It has fine stems and deep green leaves, which are toothed and roughly oval. How to Take Care of Great Blue Lobelia Due to the conspicuous bright blue flowers, great blue lobelia is very widely used for landscaping. She has been associated with Rutgers Gardens for over a decade. Perennial varieties can usually get by with a yearly application of fertilizer or compost in the spring. Blue White Foliage. Surface sow, barely covering, and keep moist but not sopping wet. The capsules that have as defined by the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; (hardiness zones are not recorded for all Grow Native! Allowing your plants to self-sow is the easiest way to create new plants. Propagation by seed: Plant Lobelia seeds indoors early in the spring, or sow directly into the moist soil outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. Great Blue Lobelia in containers with Caladiums. In early summer, pinch back plants to stimulate the growth of new blossom-bearing branches. But however it got there, I have enjoyed its beautiful blue flowers for many years. Lobelia erinus is a trailing species with masses of purple or blue flowers. Another easy way to propagate your plant is by cuttings. Lobelia siphilitica, commonly known as blue cardinal flower or great blue lobelia, is an easy-to-grow perennial for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 10. Longer lived than the Cardinal Flower it blooms in the late summer producing spikes of deep blue … ProblemsUsually trouble-free. This plant's genus name of Lobelia honors Flemish botanist Mathias de Lobel, who studied medicinal uses for plants. Copyright Use a lobelia with white flowers in a moon garden. Lobelia species are available in different varieties. More about the newsletter. Sow singly or in small groups spaced around half an inch apart in trays of good seed compost. Great Blue Lobelia and Caladiums: another angle, They are sharing the containers mainly with Caladiums. 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