"Cardinal-flowers kindle their spiral flames, and illuminate the dark nooks among the shrubbery."
...Nathanial Hawthorne, "The Old Manse"
Almost always called "America's most vivid wildflower", this very famous plant of great beauty has been seen by few, since it blooms during summer, not spring, like most of its woodland companions. The flowers are orchid-like, up and down the tall 3 to 4-ft. stems. They often put on a dazzling show in shady wet woods, and many a hiker has been startled by coming onto a colony in brilliant bloom in the mid or late-summer woods. Because of its beauty, Cardinal Flower is often picked in the wild, and has become rare in some places. It also seems cursed by being a streamside plant which has shallow roots. Often even large, older plants are swept away during spring flooding, since their roots are poor anchors in a strong stream of water. Once established, a colony of this wildflower will be the pride and joy of any serious wildflower gardener.
Our seeds, often very hard to find, are hand-gathered from the wild by a seed specialist in the Finger Lakes region of New York state, so you know they'll be the true wild species. (There are several hybrids of this wildflower; one with maroon-red leaves, which is not as cold-hardy as the native.)
No. Seeds per packet: Over 500
|
Botanical Name: Lobelia cardinalis
|
|
|
Common Name: Cardinal Flower
|
|
|
Type: Perennial—“comes back” every year. Blooms second and successive seasons forming expanding clumps. Also spreads slowly by seeding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sun/Shade: Prefers partial to full shade
|
|
|
Soil Preferences: It does not need constantly wet soil, but can tolerate it, often growing with its roots in soft mud of rich woodland soil.
|
|
|
Moisture Requirements: Cardinal flower occurs in nature along streams and in moist spots, so try to duplicate this environment.
|
|
|
Where To Grow It: All regions, No. America
|
|
|
How To Grow It: Plant in spring or in fall, and protect and mark seeds, since they are very tiny. Once plants appear, they grow strongly with large lance-shaped leaves and tall stems.
|
|
|
Indigenous To: North America from eastern and central Canada south to FL and west to TX.
|
|
|