One of my favorite late season perennial flowers has begun to bloom. Lobelia cardinalis is such a unique color for this time of year compared to the whites and yellows that are typical. I also enjoy the Great Blue Lobelia along with the annual species but the red version is so vibrant and stands out against the landscape.

As a nice bonus, the red Lobelia – also known as the Cardinal flower, is a great pollinator plant attracting hummingbirds to its sweet nectar. This is not a real common plant, at least in the upper Midwest as it needs certain conditions to do well. It likes to have at least partial sunlight but also needs a moist spot to grow without being kept continually soaked.

There are those who adapt this plant to aquariums keeping them submerged which shows there adaptability. I don’t know if they can be sustained for long periods of time underwater but they can tolerate it for an amount of time with very specific conditions. Keeping them outside in the landscape in an area that doesn’t get too dry can provide a lot of success with beautiful flowers for Lobelia cardinalis. The only thing I really don’t like about these flowers is that fall is not far behind when they begin to bloom.