Red Lobelia

[nanny_56]

I bought one of these yesterday and I have never had one before. It is supposed to attract hummer. So can anyone give any tips on how to care for and maintian this plant?

On the tag it says to remove the old flower stalks... remove completely?....so does it send up new ones? I really should not buy plants I know nothing about!!

[kHT]

Full sun, well drained rich soil with room to grow. We have several clumps and these will self seed if allowed to.

[nanny_56]

Okay...think I got that part right at least!

[Ed_B]

Watch out for rabbits Claudia!
Lobelia around here is rabbit candy.

[nanny_56]

Watch out for rabbits Claudia!
Lobelia around here is rabbit candy.

Now THAT is not good news Ed!!! They nibbled some of my lilies this year as they come up. AND lots of the seedlings that I winter sowed.....was not a happy camper!!

[Ed_B]

I know how you feel
I bought a bunch of Oriental Lily bulbs, the rabbits got every one of them, plus a few of my daylily seedlings

[Tigger]

Rabbit candy? I thought lobelia cardinalis was toxic. Oh well; rabbits don't read books.

You can grow this in a regular garden, but its natural habitat is waterside: along ponds or streams. As noted, where happy it will seed around. Easy to spot (and transplant) the little basal cabbages.

The advice about cutting the stalks is (1) to avoid spreading ripe seeds, if that's a problem, and (2) to make sure that you don't pull up the plants when clearing the stalks. Easy to do if they're in wet soil. It's also important to leave the basal foliage uncovered during winter (except for snow, of course).

Lots of hybrids and selections out there now. 'Monet Moment' is a favorite. Some may be short-lived, but you'll get interesting seedlings. One I just bought is called 'Fried Green Tomatoes', which is a really odd name for a plant with nearly black wiggly basal leaves.

[nanny_56]

Now I wonder if I have it in a spot that will be to dry for it???? I wiguess I will just wait and see not like it was that expensive. Thanks for more info Tigger!

[Midnight Reiter Too]

Lobelia is listed as seldom damaged on this list:

Plants Rabbits Eat in North America

http://www.rabbitscram.com/Plants%20Dam ... abbits.pdf

But who can trust those wascally wabbits?

[redcrx]

I was going to ask if anyone was familiar with these plants. Many years ago I bought an all green one that got six feet tall and a wimpy dark purple one that could barely hold a leaf up. They were about seven feet apart. The next year I had hybrids all over the place. The darker the plant (more purple) the more water it needed but the bigger and brighter the flowers. The greener the plant was the smaller and duller the flowers but it needed less water. Over the years I have seen various hybrids but this year I am seeing some of the strangest variations. There are the common versions of greens and reds and purples but I'm also seeing white leaves and filigree leaf patterns. Some leaves have rippled edges. I just noticed some very thin almost tube-like leaves.

[R. Rock]

Hello,
Good Advice. I think Tigger hit er' on the head; moisture!!!
I quit trying to grow it because I didn't have the consistant moisture.

Ed, That is nice and got me thinking on experimenting w/ that one if I found it..

[nanny_56]

I had a lot of plants heave this winter and this was one of them. SO I lost it and a number of fall planted daylilies. I am not going to try it again.