Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue Plug – Live Starter Plant 1-3″ Tall

Overview

Discover the beauty of the Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug, a vibrant addition to any garden or landscape. This live starter plant is carefully cultivated to ensure a healthy, well-rooted specimen ready for planting. The Lobelia Starship variety is known for its striking blue flowers and robust growth, making it a popular choice for gardeners seeking both beauty and resilience. Unlike some older varieties, this Cardinal Flower offers enhanced heat tolerance, allowing it to flourish in a wider range of climates. Ideal for adding a splash of intense color, this perennial plant will establish quickly, promising a season of captivating blooms. Whether you’re creating a new flower bed or enhancing an existing one, this Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug provides an excellent foundation for a thriving garden.

Our Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug arrives as a young, healthy starter plant, typically 1-3 inches tall, with established roots. While it won’t be in bloom upon arrival, it is ready to grow and produce its characteristic blue flowers as it matures. This plant is a fantastic choice for those looking to support pollinators, as its vibrant blooms are a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies. Bring home this exquisite plant and watch your garden transform with its stunning presence.

Key Benefits

Adding the Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug to your garden offers numerous advantages, from aesthetic appeal to ecological benefits. This plant is not only beautiful but also relatively easy to care for, making it suitable for various gardening skill levels.

• Vibrant Blue Blooms: The most striking feature of this plant is its intense, true blue flowers, which provide a dramatic contrast against green foliage and other garden colors. These blooms are a focal point in any landscape.
• Attracts Pollinators: The tubular flowers are highly attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators, helping to support local ecosystems and biodiversity in your garden.
• Heat Tolerant: The ‘Starship’ series is specifically bred for improved heat tolerance, allowing the plant to perform better in warmer climates compared to traditional Lobelia varieties, ensuring a longer blooming season.
• Moisture Loving: This plant thrives in consistently moist conditions, making it an excellent choice for rain gardens, boggy areas, or alongside water features where other plants might struggle.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, the Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug requires minimal care, primarily needing consistent moisture and occasional feeding to maintain its vigor and bloom production.
• Versatile Planting: Suitable for a variety of garden settings, including perennial borders, containers, mass plantings, or as an accent plant. It adapts well to both full sun and partial shade.
• Hardy Perennial: With a USDA hardiness range of zones 6-10, this plant returns year after year in suitable climates, providing reliable beauty without the need for annual replanting.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential for the healthy growth and abundant flowering of your Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug. This plant generally prefers conditions that mimic its natural wetland habitat, focusing on consistent moisture and rich soil. For light, it thrives best in full sun to partial shade. In regions with very hot summers, providing afternoon shade is crucial to prevent leaf scorch and ensure the plant remains vibrant and healthy. Aim for at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight daily, but protect it from intense midday sun in extreme heat.

Watering is perhaps the most critical aspect of caring for your Lobelia Starship care. For young plugs, keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. As the plant matures, it will still appreciate moist conditions; never allow the soil to completely dry out. This plant is an excellent candidate for areas near natural water sources or within rain gardens, where its moisture needs can be met easily. The ideal soil for this Cardinal Flower is rich, moist, and well-draining, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. It thrives in soils high in organic matter. Avoid dry, sandy soils unless you are prepared to water very frequently. The plant is hardy in USDA zones 6–10, but can be grown as an annual in cooler climates. Fertilize with a balanced liquid fertilizer every 2-4 weeks during the growing season to encourage robust growth and flowering. Watch for common pests like slugs and snails, especially in moist environments, and address them promptly. This growing Cardinal Flower will reward you with spectacular blooms if its basic needs are met.

Size & Details

Each order includes one healthy Lobelia plant starter, a well-rooted plug that is typically 1 to 3 inches tall upon arrival. This young plant is ready for immediate transplanting into your garden or a larger pot, providing a head start on the growing season. The ‘Starship’ series of Lobelia is known for its vigorous growth, and with proper care, this plug will quickly establish itself and begin to mature. While it will not be in flower when shipped, you can anticipate vibrant blue blooms as the plant grows and reaches maturity, usually within the first growing season. Mature plants can reach heights of 2-3 feet and spreads of 1-2 feet, forming attractive clumps of foliage topped with impressive flower spikes. This blue perennial plant is shipped in its nursery pot with soil, ensuring minimal shock during transit and a smooth transition to its new home.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug get? A: This starter plug is 1-3 inches tall upon arrival. Mature plants typically reach a height of 2-3 feet and spread 1-2 feet, forming a lovely clump of foliage and flower spikes.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug is primarily an outdoor plant, hardy in USDA zones 6-10. It can be grown as an annual in colder climates.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Cardinal Flower need? A: It grows best in full sun to partial shade. In very hot climates, it prefers afternoon shade to protect its leaves from scorching.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, with consistent moisture and rich soil, this Lobelia is relatively easy to care for. It’s an excellent choice for gardeners looking for a vibrant, low-maintenance perennial.
• Q: What condition will the Lobelia plant starter arrive in? A: You will receive one healthy, well-rooted live starter plant in a nursery pot, ready for planting. It will be a young plant and not in flower upon arrival.
• Q: Can I use this Lobelia in a rain garden? A: Absolutely! This plant thrives in consistently moist conditions and is an excellent choice for rain gardens or areas near water features.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: With proper care, your young Lobelia Starship Cardinal Flower Blue plug should begin to produce its beautiful blue flowers during its first growing season.
• Q: What type of soil does this blue perennial plant prefer? A: It prefers rich, moist, well-draining soil that is high in organic matter, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This plant is hardy in USDA zones 6-10. In these zones, it will typically return year after year. In colder zones, it can be grown as an annual.
• Q: Is this plant good for beginner gardeners? A: Yes, its relatively straightforward care requirements, especially its love for consistent moisture, make it a good option for beginners, provided its basic needs are met.