Cardinal Flowers are well known for attracting hummingbirds.
How to Grow Lobelia species in Gardens and in Meadows
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is named for its vivid red color, an uncommon trait in wildflowers. The bright red attracts Cardinal Flower's primary pollinator, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds cherish the many blooms and often visit the blooming plant multiple times a day. Spicebush, Black, and Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies also collect nectar of Cardinal Flower. It commonly reaches 1.5 to 3ft at maturity and prefers some shade but can tolerate full sun as long as the soil is moist enough. The more you water Cardinal flower in the early summer; the taller and more prolific it gets.
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), also called Blue Cardinal Flower, grows in similar conditions to Cardinal Flower but is generally more tolerant of average, less moist soils. It can reach 1-3ft tall and often lives on floodplains, along rivers or creeks, in ditches or depressions, or in swamps and wetlands. We've observed that the threatened American Bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus) favors Great Blue Lobelia over many other flowers. Since they both bloom in late summer, mixing Cardinal Flower and Great Blue Lobelia gives a stellar color combination in garden settings or native meadow landscapes.
Gardening these Lobelia Species
With both species: In garden settings, just apply 1.5 inches of water to the landscape in summer droughts and they will thrive. They need about 4 hours of direct sun or more to put on a good show. Both species are naturally associated with rivers and streams whom's flood waters causes natural disturbances opening up niches for these short-lived lobelias to grow in. Each clump will only live 2 to 4 years. You'll need to shake the dust like seeds out in early mid fall over bare ground where no other plants are occupying to get it to reseed themselves. Otherwise they often disappear from the landscape if the landscape fills itself in with plants completely.
Meadowscaping With Lobelia
To establish these Lobelia species, clear the vegetation in the area in midsummer through fall using your preferred method. Seed 1/4th ounce of each species per 100 square foot to 4,000 square foot area in the fall. In wet areas of meadows, both species will reproduce well as long as there’s disturbance every 3 to 4 years. This disturbance can be created by choosing to mow down an area of the native meadow 3 times a month from Spring through into late-summer causing germination and basal rosette formation of these two lobelias. The good thing about the mowing is they will not cut the Lobelia basal rosettes as they hug the ground tightly their first year. This only works after lobelia species initially established in the seed mix - and then faded from competition. This disturbance naturally would have been created by Elk, Bison, Ground Hog, and Muskrat grazing of sedges and grasses primarily.
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