Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal Flower

Considered one of our most beautiful wildflowers, this plant has intense, vibrant red flowers that are especially attractive to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. In the wild, Cardinal Flower grows along streams or in wet meadows. Plant in part shade if your site is not consistently moist and mulch lightly around the roots to hold in moisture. A rosette of leaves remains throughout winter that should not be mulched. Self-sown seedlings often appear, especially in bare spots around the garden.