Lobelia cardinalis, commonly known as Cardinal Flower, is a striking site in our woodlands. Late in the season, when most flowers have come and gone, Cardinal Flower sends up bright red flowers you don't expect to see in our shaded woodlands.

Cardinal Flower is adaptable to full-sun provided that soils do not fully dry out. Its bright red tubular flowers attract hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies with their nectar.

Individual plants typically do not persist for more than a few years, but it self-seeds very readily.

Growing 2-4 feet tall, it makes an excellent choice for gardens, ditches, pond edges, or as a cut-flower. We've seen it occasionally browsed by deer, but they generally find it unpalatable.