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Growing Lobelia: Lobelia are well known as tender, trailing plants for hanging baskets and edging lawns. Less well-known are the hardy perennial types that produce straight stems clothed in bright tubular flowers in late summer. Note: All Lobelias are poisonous.

Planting:

Generally Lobelias require moist soil in summer but good drainage in winter. This is achieved by adding lots of grit and compost to the soil. 

NB: our plants contain a treatment against vine weevil and should not be planted in water courses, ponds or bogs connected to ponds.

They all prefer good sun but will grow well in light shade.

The tall x.speciosa types may require staking in windy sites.

Care:

The x.speciosa types may rot in winter. To avoid this remove the dead flower stems as soon as good sized plantlets have formed around its base. Apart from this, Lobelias are generally trouble free.

Propagation:

Propagation is generally by division of rooted plantlets although cuttings and seed (for species Lobelia) are also successful.

Lobelia cardinalis "Bees' Flame"

Far better than the similar "Queen Victoria". Flame red flowers and bronze foliage. Being a cardinalis variety it is very hardy. 2ft 6in tall.

Lobelia cardinalis "Deep Red"

Deep smouldering red selection from the standard species. Reaches 60cm. Tolerant of most soil types but will grow in very wet soils. Completely hardy. Flowers from early August through to September.

Lobelia laxiflora var. angustifolia

Low growing bushy plant with narrow dark green leaves that are clothed in red and orange tubular flowers from July onwards.

When happy the plants spread by underground stems to form clumps up to 75cm across.

Not fully hardy in the UK (on the margins of Z8 / Z9) but happy in our garden in sheltered spot near a tall wall. If shelter is a problem pot up in late autumn and keep in an unheated greenhouse or porch.

Lobelia x.speciosa "Russian Princess"

Shocking pink flowers and bronze leaves and stems. Reaches about 80-90cm tall. Flowers from July to September.

There is some mix up on the naming of this plant. Apparently there was a plant with plain green leaves and purple flowers at one time.  To avoid confusion, our picture aptly describes the plant we are selling.

Lobelia x.speciosa

Lovely purple-pink flowers on strong plants that have been hardy with us for many years. One of our favourites. 2ft 6in tall. 

Lobelia tupa

Spectacular plant from Chile where it grows on sandy soils in coastal regions.  Felted sage green leaves clothe the stems that are topped with spires of deep red flowers that just keep going up and up. The flowers begin opening in July when the plant is about 3ft 6in (105cm) tall and continue to open until a hard frost when the stems can have reached up to 10ft (3m) tall.  When placing the plants remember that they grow upwards in a broad arc - e.g. growing outwards as the go up.

We grow it in well drained soil in the a warm spot in our garden where it has flourished for the last 6 years. In very severe winter weather we cover the crowns with conifer boughs. We also leave the old stems on until early spring to provide extra shelter.

Propagate by very careful division of crowns - its easy to snap off shoots lacking roots by mistake. Some years (about 1 in 5 for us) it will set ample seed which germinates well with a little bottom heat. As with all lobelia the tiny seedlings are a bit fiddly but grow away strongly once pricked out.  Seedlings will normally flower the in the summer of their second year.

Our strain is a clearer ruby red than some others in circulation which are more orangey. 

More pictures and information can be found in our Garden Diary entries for July 07 and August 09