I added Blue Lobelia to a new rain garden on the west side of my house in Bay City. It is blooming now and looking beautiful. I have it near yellow Sneezeweed, which is also growing quite well and has attracted bumblebees. On my Cardinal flowers in the same garden, the basal leaves have increased in size but have not produced blooms yet.
So glad your native plants are doing well, Jeanne! Not sure how old your cardinal flower is, but it will likely take two growing seasons to bloom. In the first year, the basal rosette of leaves forms, and in the second year, the plant bolts and flowers. It is a short-lived perennial and could bloom for several years after that, too, hopefully reseeding itself in the meantime.
Great summary - thank you! I've got some seedlings that need a home on my property and will try to find the most moist conditions. Fingers crossed I can keep it happy!!
One of my favorite garden plants for late summer and early fall. Provides a color that seems to be lacking this time of year. Looks amazing with yellow and pink flowers. I like pink coleus planted nearby the best. Deer and rabbits have not bothered my plants in the three years its been in my garden. Returns each year bigger and better. My garden zone is 6b in the Smokey mountains of western NC. Here, they have just begun blooming in mid August. I have not noticed it reseeding in my garden which is heavily mulched.
So glad you are enjoying this plant! Yes, unfortunately thick mulch does preclude plants from reseeding themselves. You might consider letting the mulch biodegrade with time and adding in native groundcover species to help fill the gaps between taller species and serve the same moisture retention and weed control roles as mulch. A little bit of bare ground is also helpful to our ground-nesting native pollinators like bumble bees!
I added Blue Lobelia to a new rain garden on the west side of my house in Bay City. It is blooming now and looking beautiful. I have it near yellow Sneezeweed, which is also growing quite well and has attracted bumblebees. On my Cardinal flowers in the same garden, the basal leaves have increased in size but have not produced blooms yet.
So glad your native plants are doing well, Jeanne! Not sure how old your cardinal flower is, but it will likely take two growing seasons to bloom. In the first year, the basal rosette of leaves forms, and in the second year, the plant bolts and flowers. It is a short-lived perennial and could bloom for several years after that, too, hopefully reseeding itself in the meantime.
Great summary - thank you! I've got some seedlings that need a home on my property and will try to find the most moist conditions. Fingers crossed I can keep it happy!!
They are gorgeous! Thanks so much for the informative video!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for sharing. A nice concise video.
You're very welcome!
One of my favorite garden plants for late summer and early fall. Provides a color that seems to be lacking this time of year. Looks amazing with yellow and pink flowers. I like pink coleus planted nearby the best. Deer and rabbits have not bothered my plants in the three years its been in my garden. Returns each year bigger and better. My garden zone is 6b in the Smokey mountains of western NC. Here, they have just begun blooming in mid August. I have not noticed it reseeding in my garden which is heavily mulched.
So glad you are enjoying this plant! Yes, unfortunately thick mulch does preclude plants from reseeding themselves. You might consider letting the mulch biodegrade with time and adding in native groundcover species to help fill the gaps between taller species and serve the same moisture retention and weed control roles as mulch. A little bit of bare ground is also helpful to our ground-nesting native pollinators like bumble bees!