perennial
Cardinal flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Lobelia cardinalis is a perennial for gardens in zones 3–9. It grows 2–4 ft tall and 1–2 ft wide, so plant it 1.5 ft apart. Give it full sun to part shade and steady moisture, and it copes with wet soil. It flowers red in July to September. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, the Midwest and Texas and the South-Central states. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Lobelia cardinalis
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 9
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours)
- Water
- High; tolerates wet soil
- Soil
- Consistently moist to wet soil; do not let it dry out.
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft tall × 1–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jul–Sep · red
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, cottage
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Lobelias contain lobeline alkaloids; treated as toxic to pets.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Florida/Gulf, Midwest and South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $10–$18 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Keep soil consistently moist through the first year; water two to three times a week in summer heat.
- Pruning
- Do not mulch over the basal rosettes in winter.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Cardinal flower, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Canadian wild gingerAsarum canadensegroundcover · zones 3–8
- Northern sea oatsChasmanthium latifoliumornamental grass · zones 5–9
- GoatsbeardAruncus dioicusperennial · zones 3–7
- Wild columbineAquilegia canadensisperennial · zones 3–8
- Bee balmMonarda didymaperennial · zones 4–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Cardinal flower: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants