Complete Guide To The Cardinal Flower, Lobelia Cardinalis

This is a complete profile on the Cardinal Flower, Lobelia Cardinalis. In this video I will cover the following topics (time-stamped links);
00:04 - Intro
00:59 - What is the Cardinal Flower
01:28 - Benefits
02:45 - Identification
04:23 - Growing Conditions
04:58 - How to grow from seed
07:24 - Save seed from Cardinal Flower
08:43 - Establishment
09:57 - Wildlife
10:38 - Garden uses
11:09 - Review
My article on this plant (save for quick reference later):
growitbuildit....
Helpful videos referenced in this video;
- Winter Sowing: • How to Winter Sow Seed...
- Separating Cardinal Flower seedlings - timestamped - • How to separate seedlings
10% OFF your orders from Prairie Restorations, Inc. Use code: GROWIT10. They now ship plants, in addition to seeds. zurl.to/QGlX (affiliate link)

[@thomaszaccone3960]

I live in Zone 6. I remember hiking through a deep woods years ago I approached a clearing with a stream running through it and a beam of sunlight shone through the canopy and rested on a single cardinalflower. It really impressed me with its beauty.

[@growitbuildit]

I'm with you Thomas. It's amazing what you can find when you start to look. There are shots in this video where I came across a patch of Cardinal Flower 20 yards off of a parking lot for hiking the Appalachian Trail. Right next to the road you had a small native plant wilderness that nobody knew about......

[@thomaszaccone3960]

@@growitbuildit I love the forests. Spent lots of time hiking when I was younger. Now 77 and have two artificial knees so I mainly garden. Wish I could have seen an old growth forest.

[@thomaszaccone3960]

@@growitbuildit 👍🏻👍🏻👐

[@growitbuildit]

I've been to one old growth Hemlock forest. Unfortunately for me I spent that hike avoiding rattlesnakes!

[@thomaszaccone3960]

@@growitbuildit 🤣🤣 I love snakes - including rattlers. Timber Rattlers usually try to get away from you. Diamond backs not so much. Stay out of their way and they will leave you alone.

[@dominiquebarrette9621]

I really really enjoy all your videos they are well done, so informative, thank you so much , please keep up the excellent work, I am definitely a Canadian fan

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Dominique! I'll try to keep them coming.

[@jimmyjambag2230]

Yoooo! Planted this last year, and it did nothing until this year where it jumped up, so I'm hopeful for any kind of showing.

[@growitbuildit]

I believe you will be rewarded this year Jimmy. Don't forget to save some seed for next year!

[@cath.lamontagne5357]

I'm in Northern Quebec - zone 4a and this is a wonderful introduction to this beautiful plant. Very happy to learn what you have shared. Lovely clear visuals on the "winter-sowing" and seed collecting. Congratulations! ❤

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Cathy - you're going to love this flower. It truly is a work of art. And thank you for being so generous!

[@george200099]

Growit Buildit is one of the most informative channels on KZbin because they use facts. It is the best resource I’ve found

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you George!

[@deborahstewart6435]

Thank you so much! This is an EXCELLENT informative and educational video! After watching, I now know "things I never knew..."

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Deborah - your comment sums up the reaction I'm going for! Educational and informative.

[@CarolB2500]

Thanks for this. I am putting out my seeds in covered trays next month. I’m in zone 6, Chicago and can’t wait for them to bloom!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Carol - good luck!

[@taylorswf23]

I planted some bare root early spring and I’m delighted to see that they’re forming flowers this year ❤🌹

[@growitbuildit]

That is excellent - I hope they live long for you.

[@FesteringEarth]

Your channel rocks! I’ve been on a native kick the past few months and for some reason wanted to go on a quick journey for cardinal flower knowledge, leading me to your amazing videos. I’ve been listening to several of your videos on natives which I’ve wholeheartedly enjoyed. Your knowledge will help me so much at my job and garden. Keep being awesome!

[@growitbuildit]

Excellent - I'm glad I could help you out! Can I ask what your job is and how my videos are helping?

[@FesteringEarth]

I happen to work at the nursery section of a garden center. I’m fairly young compared to the rest in that department (17) but having this job is very fun! The people I work with teach me a lot, along with doing my own research online/reading, along gardening to understand certain plants better. As I said I have been on a native binge, but finding your videos go into topics and tips that I find extremely interesting and helpful. They’re very thorough and broken into thought-out sections that cover aspects of flowers in amazing detail which for me helps a lot. Flower characteristics, growing conditions, seed sowing (which I try and do in my own which helps immensely), and several other topics that immediately made me appreciate your videos. Soooooo, y’know, making good videos and just explaining the cool things that the plant does and how to take care of them. It’s fun to watch while still learning from it. That’s how they’re helping.

[@bboycyphur]

I’ve always wanted to collect the seeds of my cardinals flowers but never knew how to because the seeds are insanely tiny. I’ll try to collect this fall thanks to your advice! Now that I know that they won’t last long, I have more incentive to winter sow some. Thanks for all of the info! This is one of the best channels for native plants.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! Good luck saving/starting more from seed.

[@helenaragon6539]

I hope itself sows and spreads all over my yard because i saw a hummingbird on one of mine today!

[@growitbuildit]

Excellent - congrats. Make sure you help it self-seed!

[@arcadiapermaculture974]

Excellent content, thank you. Love the focus on native plants too!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

[@karenjohnson2068]

Thank you for your video. I’m in zone 9a with very hot sunny summers. I started a pollinator garden last fall all from seed which is an inexpensive start. I might just try cardinal flower as an addition for next year.

[@growitbuildit]

It is truly one of the most beautiful native flowers Karen

[@georgiavesely8944]

I’m in the Tampa area but I have to try this one too. 😊

[@FaithVsFate]

Let’s gooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve waited for this for years, back when I found your channel. Thank you.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you for being patient! Was it worth the wait?

[@FaithVsFate]

@@growitbuildit Absolutely! 🫡

[@susanwalkergirl]

I'd love to grow these flowers. Thanks for this video...very helpful!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Susan!

[@marky3131]

Very helpful. This is my second year for this plant and they are coming on fast. I’ll collect seed for certain. Thanks

[@growitbuildit]

You're welcome Mark - I'm happy to hear you are going to get some blooms this year and are planning for next.

[@johncornell7103]

I’ve been told that if you want to propagate this species you should pin a stem or two to the ground and it it root along the length and develop a new plant at each leaf node. I have not tried this and my source was the internet so I take it with a grain of salt but I will look more deeply into it because the plant is well … very pretty

[@growitbuildit]

That may work with this species. I have not tried it though. Just scattering the seeds has worked surprisingly well considering how small the seeds are.

[@inchristalone25]

This was such a well done video! Bravo! You make growing flowers easier!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm glad you are finding my videos helpful.

[@joekollar9582]

Cuyahoga river has tons of this in bloom when you take a kayak downriver.

[@growitbuildit]

That would be beautiful to see. Every time I pass a creek in August I always look for flashes of red

[@donnachristiansen1733]

Hello I’m new to your channel and I love this on the cardinal flower!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Donna!

[@cecilialanders7037]

Thank you! Very helpful! I will look for the links!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@arnorrian1]

Great video. One note: Genus name in upper case, species name in lower case. Lobelia cardinalis

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - I do know this, but sometimes I make editing mistakes!

[@SlipMahoneyBowery]

Love your videos , especially because you talk about and show the whole plant, up close AND from a distance. So many people just show the flowers and I’ve been surprised by the plant configuration as a whole when I grew them in my gardens. FYI. This plant was named after the bright color garb of the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. It would be way cooler if it WAS named after the bird though.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I try to make comprehensive videos. I had always assumed the name was from the color/structure in relation to the bird. I didn't know that about the Catholic Cardinals - thank you.

[@otsparkle1]

Thank you, this was very helpful

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome - I'm happy you liked it.

[@PetulaGuimaraes]

Being so short-lived I'm actually going to try and see what happens if it self-seeds. Mine get sun only about 4hs a day and is gloriously tall! Under a blue fir tree, I guess it's moist enough. Zone 5 here in Quebec, with heavy snow

[@growitbuildit]

You can easily help it self seed, and should. Just squeeze a few capsules and let the seed fall.

[@chrismarchetti-olson6632]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video 🌸

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Chris - glad you enjoyed it.

[@johnstevenns5830]

Another hummingbird attracting native I see almost nobody talk about is the Trumpet Honeysuckle - Lonicera Sempervirens.

[@growitbuildit]

I'll have to try growing some this year. I've filmed it a few times, but have been hesitant to plant due to its aggressiveness

[@charlesburkhart800]

Hummingbirds also feed on coral honeysuckle which is a native of North America. But they go to Cardinal Lobelia first.

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Wow lovely flowers Includel Like it, I leave 3 presents. Have a good relationship. My friend, alway stay connected~

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@NicheCraftwithKassi]

Hey Joe. Me and my husband love your channel! We were wondering if you had a recommended shovel for our rocky soil. I saw in your vegetable garden video that you had a lot of rocks in your soil and we keep breaking our shovels on the rocks on our land. Thanks so much for your videos and website! It has been so helpful to us!

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Kassi - what has helped me with rocks more than anything is a large digging iron. They are heavy, unwieldy, and sometimes awkward. But there is nothing better for busting up rocky compacted soil, or even splitting a large rock in the soil. I use it in my 'digging heavy rocks' video. This is a link to the same digging bar I use (affiliate) at amazon. amzn.to/43JKjSo You don't need to buy it from there, as hardware stores carry the same bar, and sometimes you can find them cheap on Facebook Marketplace. But these digging bars are amazing. You can literally bust up giant rocks to make them possible to remove. And since it is 5' long, it makes an excellent fulcrum to lever them out of deep holes like I show in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gH3MeppvipKphKs

[@NicheCraftwithKassi]

@@growitbuildit Thanks so much!

[@bronlynbennett3371]

Wow, excellent info! Thanks so much!!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Bronlyn

[@pogsslammer2106]

Your vids are so good. Thanks so much.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Pogs!

[@robsollars1981]

Great video as always! The only thing that I would like to see with these videos would be mention of some of the insects that use a plant as a host plant. I know cardinal flower might not most many, but this is just general feedback for future videos.

[@growitbuildit]

Noted! Will do Rob.

[@growitbuildit]

And the Cardinal Flower, although beautiful, doesn't host anything.

[@davidmccoy3174]

I live in South West Georgia zone 8, Cardinal flowers grow in the Swamps around here. Wet feet and swamp detritus from the floods that come through.

[@growitbuildit]

That would be a very happy environment for them. These are quite possibly the most beautiful flowers around.

[@georgiavesely8944]

Love this video. Thanks

[@growitbuildit]

You are welcome Georgia

[@MarieMiller-kf5fz]

I planted my first Cardinal Flower this year and, yes, the color is totally amazing. Beautiful! How do you keep the plant blooming? From watching your video I think you do not suggest dead heading. Does this mean that once the flower stalk has bloomed it is done blooming for the current season? Marie Watertown, WI

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Marie - in my experience, once the plant has finished blooming, it is done. I have tried deadheading, but it did not work. But you may have different results, so it may not hurt to try. Just make sure you retain some seed!

[@kso808]

Thanks for this comprehensive video! I just ordered some cardinal flower plants, and plan to plant them at the base of a large boulder in my front yard. I know they like a moist environment so I was wondering how I can create one against the base of the boulder? Maybe sloped inward toward the base of the rock, so as to hold water? Thanks for any info.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - yes, I think a gentle slope will help for sure. You could do a quick drainage test too. But ultimately you will probably have to just pay attention to the plant and water in case there are any signs of drought.

[@gogr2409]

Fantastic video as usual, thanks! Now I know what the red flowers were that I saw last summer off the NCR trail also in zone six, near the gun powder river. I was astonished by them because they were so beautiful but I didn’t know what they were. I recently purchased a cardinal flower plant from a nursery in York, PA, but it has dark red foliage. It definitely wilts in its full sun location if I don’t water it daily but I am looking forward to blooms, although maybe not until next year. Would this version of the cardinal plant be a cultivar? Thanks again for your channel!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! The dark red foliage is most likely one of the many cultivars available. I would be that it lives longer than the wild kind though. BTW - I'm in Southern PA too. Come late July/August, take a few hikes near water. You may find some wild ones blooming.

[@seamus6994]

Joe, good video. I think I'll look for this red beauty and try it out. Nearly Spring but we can have snow up to the day before Mother's Day. Are all your Plants/Flowers Native to the USA?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Seamus - yes, pretty much all are native to USA.

[@idontbelieveyou]

Hi, this was incredibly informative thank you. In a wet and a wild area of my garden will it self sow? I have compost and other beneficial wild weeds in a mostly shady filtered and late day sun area zone 5-6 Downeast Maine

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - it does best near water as occasional flooding or higher waters may remove leaf litter that can shade out the seeds. In my backyard micro prairie I had initially 'helped' it by just crushing some pods and sprinkling them around. That was several years ago, and I have usually had a few volunteers ever since. So, I would suggest you crush a few pods too at least initially.

[@Curious-Lass]

I planted the Cardinal Flower this year. Each day as I watered it more and more leaves were eaten, until one day within a week of planting it, it was gone! Just the stems left! I think my snails completely ate it within one week!!!😔

[@growitbuildit]

Wow - that is incredible. I'm sorry to hear it got eaten. I've never seen damage to any of mine ever. Even ones in the wild are usually intact from what I can remember. I guess liquid fence would be a good option for your location to help better protect it.

[@Curious-Lass]

@@growitbuildit Does Liquid Fence work for snails too? I was thinking it works mostly for deer and rabbits.

[@growitbuildit]

Ahhh- I missed the word snails. Sorry - when I saw "eat" assumed it was herbivores. I'm sorry. I've not had to deal w snails on my plants.

[@katiedotson704]

What a gorgeous plant. I wish it were more shade tolerant as I have a small stream on my property that would lend itself to water/nutritional needs but it’s far too shady. But I have other areas from full sun to partial sun to full shade snd I have a couple hundred feet of garden hose. The one question I have about these lovelies is if they self seed. I am a recent convert to your channel and don’t know all you’ve covered. Have you introduced the Balloon Flower to those that may not be familiar with it? This is one of my favorites. It cones in blue, white, and pink. Blue is my personal favorite. Another plant I’ve not seen anyone discuss is the Strawberry Begonia or Strawberry Geranium (Saxifraga stolonifera). This delicate looking ground cover is a tough little trooper. Often sold as a house plant, I am in zone 7 and have it in a place that gets plenty of light but no direct sun. We hit a 3*F this past winter and these guys are back for more. Thanks for all your great, straightforward videos for those of us in constant need of help.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Katie - the cardinal flower doesn't really self seed much. In my experience, it is not aggressive at all. On my channel I mainly stick to native plants, so I probably won't cover the balloon flower or begonias. I just don't grow them. As my yard is probably 95% natives. Sorry about that. But I'm happy you are enjoying what I've put out thus far!

[@Curlymala]

Have you had any trouble with crown rot with this one? I’m in zone 9a and obtained numerous seedlings last spring. I planted them out in the fall and most have survived. We had a hard freeze in December and several died. I wonder whether it’s bc they were in their first year or if they were a victim of crown rot. They just melted after it warmed back up. I have others in another spot that I mulched heavily and a few of those have recently died, again seems like crown rot. Apparently they don’t like too thick a layer of mulch

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Angela - I would avoid mulching this plant! I grow them in soil that drains fairly well for my temperate climate. But they absolutely don't like to be covered in Winter. And based on your comment I'm wondering if crown rot is what kills plants that are covered in mulched....not the covering. Just thinking out loud.

[@user-qq7bk5wh2t]

Great videos. Very helpful and informative. At 1:41 - 1:47 of this video there is a green plant to the left of the cardinal flower with what looks like cone flower ends. Can you share what that is? I see it again at 9:40 to the right of the cardinal Thank you for all your great content

[@growitbuildit]

Hi John - that would be Rattlesnake Master. It is a pretty cool plant. The foliage looks like Yucca or a cactus. See here: growitbuildit.com/rattlesnake-master-complete-guide-to-eryngium-yuccifolium/

[@user-qq7bk5wh2t]

@@growitbuildit thank you so much, I have been looking for that one for a while now.

[@BobbyMammoth]

Hey there, thanks for this video. I have a cardinal plant that I planted last year and was excited this spring to see some baby leaves around the base of the plant. Although it seems the leaves have died and nothing new is growing. Any possible reason why? It’s in full sun and a constantly moist flower bed.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - if you had leaves around the base of the plant this year and it looked ok, then I would expect it to be growing up well right now. That seems strange that it would have died if it look ok, and this plant isn't one that really gets eaten by deer/rabbits in my experience. It sounds like you had it in a good location.

[@oooshikaable]

Joe, I was afraid you wouldn’t see my question on a video from 5 years ago-the one on killing grass with cardboard and mulch. We’re all set to begin this thank you! but I wanted to ask you about the safety of adding that much mulch around the base of shrubs (we don’t have trees). Should it slope down towards the trunks? Thank you so much.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - It shouldn't matter too much as long as the mulch stays several inches away from the trunk. Rain should penetrate through the mulch, and not really running down it.

[@urperfect2mee]

I’ve got this planted in my backyard in NJ - how do I prepare it for the winter ?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - if you don't wish to save seed then you can cut them back to ground. Just make sure basal leaves are not covered by mulch or anything else. If you want more, and it's a wild area, you can squeeze open the pods to release seed.

[@SandyC-sk1ie]

I have had the same mother plant growing for at least 5 yrs. Now there are a bunch of new plants at the base of the mother plant. My question is can I dig up the smaller ones and transplant?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Sandy - you should be able to, just make sure they are really independent plants. But Cardinal Flower should have a short taproot, so you should be able to move them this fall or it might be better to wait until early Spring when the flowers are just emerging.

[@canadianmasraya332]

I just purchased the “Queen Victoria” variety! Can I treat both the same? There’s not much info out there. Thanks for the great video 😊

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - I just looked it up, and yes, go ahead and treat it the same. If it produces seed, it will likely be reverting back to the true native...either that or be sterile. But for growing conditions? Treat it the same.

[@canadianmasraya332]

⁠@@growitbuilditWow! That is so interesting regarding the seeds reverting back or being sterile!! Thanks for your response 😊

[@growitbuildit]

Well, I can't tell if it is a cloned cultivar, or hybrid. Probably a clone, so seeds would revert back. If you find ones that are natural varieties, then those should produce seed that is true to form.

[@jodymontez693]

What zone does it grow in

[@growitbuildit]

USDA zones 3-9. You can grow this one just about anywhere in the US (from a latitude standpoint).

[@kayorr149]

What zone do they go in, I'm zone 3

[@growitbuildit]

They go up to zone 3 - you should be good.

[@user-ug3py1zn5w]

Would these be suitable for container gardening? Thanks!

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Angie - they would probably work in containers that were at least 12" tall. You also would probably want to get the containers in and unheated garage or shed during the coldest parts of Winter.

[@user-ug3py1zn5w]

@@growitbuildit Thanks so much! Wish me luck, and thanks for your videos! Love them!

[@growitbuildit]

Good luck!

[@sheliaheverin8822]

I have a plant that was labeled as cardinal flower but it looks like an iris coming up.

[@growitbuildit]

I'm sorry to hear that Shelia. If it doesn't look like the plants in this video...I'm guessing it is the iris as you suspect.

[@iwalkintherain641]

Love plants that you can just sit and look at. Would this beauty be happy in a container? (whispers, plz say yes, plz say yes). zone 5

[@growitbuildit]

I think it could work in a tall container (12"). Perhaps keep it in an unheated shed or garage during the coldest parts of winter, just so the container doesn't freeze solid for long periods, but still let it get a bit of sunlight.

[@LeeJahn-ih9xu]

Honeysuckle

[@melissamybubbles6139]

Well, I don't think I'll be able to give it enough water. All well.

[@growitbuildit]

If you place it somewhere that it receives afternoon shade, it should be ok. I saw that you were going to grow Swamp Milkweed, which also has decent water demands.

[@melissamybubbles6139]

@@growitbuildit I haven't planted swamp milkweed. I was thinking I might be able to irrigate a grow bag enough to grow it successfully. If it requires the same amount of water, maybe it could work. Still, varieties that can handle less water may be best. My drip tubes keep falling out of the bigger grow bags, and the sides of the bags keep flopping over. Chives handle that fine.