A Gift from Carol's Garden

This spring, our friend and WBU customer Carol C. gave us a gift from her heart: she dug up and shared some Cardinal flower from her garden.

Cardinal flower, or Lobelia cardinalis is a perennial with beautiful red flowers.  Their tubular shape makes them attractive to hummingbirds and as hummingbirds partake of the nectar, they serve as a pollinator for the plant. 

Cardinal flower can tolerate sun as well as part- to full shade, but with our sandy soil, I thought it was best to plant it in mostly shade.  It prefers moist soil (I have none!), so I added a good deal of organic material to the hole I dug, and I am watching it closely to make sure the plant doesn't dry out.  It looks beautiful underneath the plum tree just off the corner of my front deck.

It did bloom this year, but between the shock of transplanting and the relatively dry summer, I'm assuming nectar production was minimal.  I did see hummingbirds visit it occasionally, giving me an opportunity to share a picture or two with you.

Thank you so much to Carol for sharing this gorgeous plant with us.  We will always think of her when hummingbirds visit it!

And if you are lucky enough to have Cardinal flower in your yard, why don't you think about sharing some with a friend?  That's the fun thing about perennials: you can share them and still never seem to run out!

Comments

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Ellen, I'd like more of it around too, especially since the hummingbirds love it.
Carol, thanks for the hint on the seed spreading...I'll do that!

[Carol C.]

via email:
Thank you, Nancy, for your kind words. I am so enjoying my Cardinal flowers all over my yard. You can strip the seeds off the stalk after the flowers die off and scatter them where ever you like. Leave the original plant, as it will come back next year. They are not picky in my sandy soil. I have some in full sun, and in the woods. They are the reddest flowers I had ever seen - until I saw some red flowers in Scotland! Can't wait to show you my bird finds!
Carol

[Ellen]

Beautiful! I love Cardinal Flower. We had a lot of it at our old house. It often showed up unexpectedly on the other side of the garden from where it was originally planted, but I left it alone. The hummingbirds were grateful. That's definitely a plant I'll need to add next year.