Cardinal Flower

Power up your butterfly garden design with a charge from a bright red, native flower. The big and bold Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) draws your eye and adds a tremendous vertical accent to the garden!

In the wild, these natives grow near water, in ravines, stream banks, swamps, and low pastures. So you know they will do wonders in your landscape! The leafy green clumps form more and more spires with each passing year! Snip a few stems for your bouquets to add a vertical focal point indoors too!

Fabulous red flowers climb along a long spire from the bottom up, and act as beacons for jewel-toned hummingbirds and local butterflies! The long bloom time and rich nectar are quite showy! These wetland natives grow throughout USDA zones 3 to 9 and spread into 2-foot wide clumps of lush greenery with their tall spires full of long green foliage.

Planting and Application:

Outstanding back-of-the-border plants in the moist Cottage garden border or Rain Garden. Add another dimension to your garden by using them around your ponds and bogs adds another special dimension, where you can see the long red spears reflected in the water!

For the most powerful impact, we'd advise dedicating enough space to plant several of these in a gentle zig-zag or row, since groupings attract the attention! These are truly effective when massed together! Hummingbirds and pollinators love it, the bold red color pops and the strong vertical accent draws your eye. Win, win, win!

• Attention-Grabbing Ruby Red Color
• Long Bloom Season
• Tidy & Tall Spreading Perennial Clumps
• Attracts Butterflies & Hummingbirds
• Dramatic Back of the Border, Specimens, Wetland Accents

#ProPlantTips for Care:

This is one of the showiest of all of our beloved North American prairie plants, and it tolerates moist soils. You don't even have to worry about the drainage of your soil as it tolerates moist living conditions beautifully. Plant in full sun for the strongest stems. These cold-hardy perennials will die back in the fall and need a good trim in the spring before new growth emerges. You can deadhead your plant to encourage new blooms all summer.

• Full Sun
• Grows Well in Moist Soils
• Moderate Moisture Needs
• Clean Mounds in Spring
• Hardy Native Wetlands

Order the big bold blooms of the native Cardinal Flower and impress your pollinators and hummingbirds. Find these and other perennial showoffs at Nature Hills Nursery!

Because it's a native plant, it does a little "too well" in certain areas. Please know that Nature Hills uses Plant Sentry™ to ensure we follow all local, state and federal regulations for plants that can become invasive in your area. We've got you covered!