Cardinal Flower

Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is a striking North American perennial named for the vivid red of a cardinal's robes. From late summer into early fall it sends up spikes packed with tubular scarlet blooms.

It is a wetland plant at heart, thriving along streams, ponds, and in rain gardens where the soil stays consistently moist. Given those conditions it is reliable, though it can be short-lived and benefits from self-sowing or division.

The brilliant flowers and the hummingbirds they draw make it a standout in native and pollinator gardens.

• Flowers: Intense scarlet-red, tubular, two-lipped, densely packed on erect spikes; bloom late summer to fall
• Height: Upright stems 2-4 ft (occasionally taller)
• Leaves: Lance-shaped, toothed, dark green, alternate along the stem
• Habit: Forms a basal rosette that overwinters, then bolts into flowering stems
• Habitat clue: Found naturally in wet, low-lying ground

• Light: Full sun to part shade; afternoon shade helps in hot climates
• Water: High and consistent; never let it dry out, and it tolerates boggy or even shallowly flooded soil
• Soil: Rich, moisture-retentive, slightly acidic soil high in organic matter
• Temperature: Hardy roughly USDA zones 3-9
• Feeding: Generally not needed in fertile, organic soil; topdress with compost
• Propagation: By seed (needs light to germinate), by division of the basal rosettes, or by pinning stems down to root

Cardinal flower is native across much of eastern and central North America, from Canada to Central America, growing in wet meadows, swamps, and along streambanks, ponds, and ditches.

In gardens it is grown in rain gardens, pond margins, bog gardens, and any reliably moist border, and is valued as a native plant for ecological landscaping.