Lobelia cardinalis

Cardinal Flower

One of the brightest scarlet— or cardinal— reds you can get in a flower. I’ve always been fond its South African relative Lobelia erinus, the bedding plant with masses of tiny, usually blue, flowers. Lobelia cardinalis is from the southeastern United States, and likes it wet. One unexpected advantage of this perennial: it tends to bloom quite late in the summer.

$5 pint

$7 quart

$10 gallon

  • Full sun to part sun

  • Zone 3

  • Herbaceous perennial