| Description | A Lobelia with bright, clear blue flowers. Lobelia is really a tender perennial grown as an annual. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (lo-BEE-li-ah) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Perennial Tender |
| Hardiness Zone | 9-11 |
| Sunlight | full sun, tolerates a little shade |
| Moisture | When grown in a garden Lobelia requires average water. In containers Lobelia rapidly fills in a pot and needs to be kept moist or the plant will quickly dry up. Doesn't like to be dry but doesn't like to be water logged. |
| Soil & Site | average, well drained |
| Growing Media | growing media for containers is best if well drained and moisture retentive |
| Temperature | preforms best in the cooler time of the growing season, slows down in hot weather, tolerates rather cold temperatures into the 40 F |
| Flowers | fan shaped with two small petals and three broad petals, light sky blue, very florific |
| Leaves | narrow, green or bronze |
| Stems | wiry, branching, forming a tangled web |
| Dimensions | +6 inches, 18-24 inches long, mounded cascading |
| Maintenance | May need a light shear in mid summer to promote new foliage and flowers. It can be cut back hard if needed. |
| Propagation | Tiny seeds are slow to germinate. I like to seed directly into the final container, as opposed to seeding in a flat than pricking out |
| Misc Facts | Genus named after Matthias De L'Obel, an English Botanists. Contains a poison alkaloid called Oleic acid. |
| Author's Notes | The secret to growing Lobelia is well drained, moisture retentive soil, kept evenly moist and cut back when necessary. Hot humid weather poorly drained media spells a midsummer meltdown. |
| Notes & Reference | #27-Rodale's Annual Gardens (Paul Loewer), #28-Cottage Garden Annuals(Clive Lane), #43-Taylor's Guide to Container Gardening, #109-Annuals and Tender Perennials for North American Gardens (Wayne Winterrowd) |
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