Can you grow lobelia indoors

With the hot July weather, plants may just stop blooming and some may even wither and die. During the most stressful days of summer, you can expect blooms to decrease, but the cooler nights of late summer should revive them. Deadhead any spent blooms to encourage more blooms and to keep the plant well groomed. Lobelia can be propagated by rooting 4-inch stem cuttings whose lower leaves have been removed. Place in moistened potting soil in a shady area until well rooted.

Plants also can be wintered over indoors in a sunny window, where they will keep on blooming all winter and be ready to put out in the garden the following spring. In truth, the true blue, dainty little flowers, with their lacy foliage spilling over the edge of a basket, are so appealing as to warrant planting even if they do tend to wither in the dog days of summer.

Lobelia Cardinalis, the cardinal flower, however, seems to thrive in the warmth of midsummer. The intense flowers make an attractive accent to a garden. The native flower is a flaming scarlet, but hybrids are now available in white, salmon, and pink. Although they prefer light to partial shade, they have been flowering at the Wildflower Garden at Seaside Nature Park for more than five years now in full sun.

Since this is a moisture-loving plant, it is suitable for a wet or boggy area. Cultivating and designing the ideal garden spot is one of her favorite activities — especially for gathering with family and friends for good times and good food straight from the garden, of course!

Lobelia erinus Are you looking for a compact and reliable annual to add some bright splashes of color throughout the garden, even in the cool or shady spots?

An old-fashioned charmer, garden lobelia fits the bill perfectly. Cultivars and Series to Select There are hundreds of lobelia varieties available. Palace Series The Palace series offers a mixed blend of plants in regal shades of blue, blue with white eyes, royal blue, and white. Palace Series The mounding plants grow four to six inches tall with a dense, thick spread of six to eight inches. Regatta Series The Regatta series makes a big wave with a blend of the brightest colors — lilac, lilac splash, marine blue, midnight blue, rose, sapphire, blue sky, and white.

Regatta Series Plants have a mounding height of four to six inches and a plush spread of six to eight inches — beautiful in beds and rockeries, or spraying from containers and window boxes. Managing Pests and Disease Mature lobelia plants are typically healthy and suffer no serious problems due to disease or insect pests.

Quick Reference Growing Guide. Facebook 7 Twitter Pinterest About Lorna Kring A writer, artist, and entrepreneur, Lorna is also a long-time gardener who got hooked on organic and natural gardening methods at an early age.

More Posts Notify of. Inline Feedbacks. You are going to send email to. Move Comment. Plant Type:. Tender perennial grown as an annual. Native To:. Southern Africa. Part shade. Spring to Fall. Soil Type:. Average, organically rich. Full sun to part shade. Soil pH:. Soil Drainage:. Planting Depth:. Surface seeds. Companion Planting:. Begonia, calibrachoa, fuchsia, helichrysum. As fillers and spillers in containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes. For edging and fillers in beds, butterfly gardens, and rockeries.

In midsummer, drench plants with a liquid plant food to stimulate new growth. Lobelia varieties that bloom blue are wonderful cascading flowers to combine with petunias or other easy annuals in containers. You also can use lobelia to edge beds because of its small size. Single Plants: 5" 15cm each way minimum Rows: 5" 15cm with 5" 15cm row gap minimum. Sow tiny lobelia seeds indoors, on top of moist seed starting mix, and provide very bright light.

Do not cover the dust-like seeds. Do what you can to sow them evenly on the soil. Germination takes days. Water with a mist sprayer.