Choose lobelia by kind: annual bedding, cardinal flower, or great blue. We list those three.
Choose annual bedding, cardinal flower, or great blue
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Baskets and low edging | Annual L. erinus | Expecting it to return like cardinal flower |
| Scarlet moist spike | Cardinal flower, Queen Victoria, or a speciosa hybrid | A dry hummingbird strip copied from cherry sage |
| Blue moist meadow | Great blue L. siphilitica | The annual 6-pack as a substitute |
Know your USDA hardiness zone before you pick a type of lobelia that will take your winter. Type your ZIP below.
2023 USDA ZIP listings (PRISM / USDA-ARS). Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone · Official USDA map.
Read the Latin on the tag. Annual L. erinus is the basket and edging plant. [1] Cardinal flower is the tall scarlet spike; Queen Victoria is the bronze-leaved form of that habit. [2]
Is annual lobelia the same as cardinal flower?
No. L. erinus is a cool-season annual for baskets and edging. L. cardinalis is a moist-soil perennial with upright scarlet spikes.
What is Lobelia siphilitica?
Great blue lobelia — a moist-meadow perennial with blue spikes, not the annual basket plant.
Browse by kind
Annual bedding
L. erinus is the cool-season annual for baskets and edging — a low mound or a trailer, not a 4-foot spike.
Cardinal flower and speciosa hybrids
L. cardinalis is cardinal flower: tall scarlet spikes in moist ground. ‘Queen Victoria’ adds bronze foliage on the same habit. ‘Starship Deep Rose’ and ‘Vedrariensis’ are speciosa hybrids for that moist upright job.
Great blue lobelia
L. siphilitica is great blue lobelia — blue spikes on a moist meadow plant. It often tolerates slightly more average moisture than cardinal flower.[3][4]
Not cardinal flower — cherry sage, Indian pink, and cardinal climber
- Cherry sage (Salvia greggii) is a dry-sun shrub. Cardinal flower is often mixed up with it on a tag. Care for sage is on How to Grow Sage.
- Indian pink can mean cardinal flower on some lists, or Spigelia marilandica, a different woodland perennial. Match the Latin.
- Cardinal climber is a morning-glory vine, not a lobelia. A tag that says “cardinal flower vine” is not this plant.
- Bellflowers (Campanula) are cousins in the same family, not a substitute. Care for those is on How to Grow Bellflowers.
Is this the same as cherry sage?
No. Cherry sage is Salvia greggii. Cardinal flower is Lobelia cardinalis — a moist perennial spike.
If the tag says Salvia or Spigelia, it is not this plant. Read the Latin before you buy.
FAQ
Do we list Crystal Palace as an extra kind?
No. Crystal Palace, Sapphire, and Cambridge Blue are shop cultivars of annual erinus, not extra catalog cards. The three jobs here are annual bedding, cardinal flower, and great blue.
Is Indian pink a different plant?
Sometimes. Some lists use Indian pink for cardinal flower. Spigelia marilandica is a different woodland perennial with the same common name. Read the Latin.
Are Starship and Vedrariensis annuals?
No. They are speciosa-type hybrids for the moist upright perennial habit, not the annual basket plant.
Related guides
References
- [1] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lobelia-erinus/ - [2] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lobelia-cardinalis/ - [3] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lobelia-siphilitica/ - [4] University of Maryland Extension -
https://www.extension.umd.edu/resource/great-blue-lobelia
This note is part of Lobelia Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors