The Cardinal flowers which is also
known as Lobelia cardinalis produces tall spikes of bright red flowers between
midsummer and early autumn. Cardinal flower brings the garden to life by
attracting a lot of species of butterflies and hummingbirds. This plant are
native to wet meadows, marshes and stream banks and they also prefer a wet
soil, although you can actually grow them in an ordinary garden soil with
frequent watering.
Steps on how to grow Cardinal
flowers
1. You can plant the cardinal flowers in
spring or fall, make sure you space them a foot apart. Try and choose a
location with morning sun and afternoon shade. By peradventure if the soil is
sandy, you can easily add a shovelful of compost for each plant at planting
time.
2. Make sure you water the plants at
least twice a week in the absence of rainfall for the first month, and then weekly
thereafter throughout spring and summer.
3. You can apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of
mulch around the plants in other to help the soil hold in moisture.
4. Make sure you snip out the flower
stem just above the leafy area after the flowers fade. Doing this will actually
keep the plant looking neat and sometimes it encourages additional flower
stems.
5. You can fertilize the cardinal
flowers in late winter immediately the plants begin to break dormancy, and
again also in fall after the last flowers fade. You can spread a shovelful of
compost or a handful of dry organic fertilizer on the soil around each of the plant.
Make sure you water the plants to rinse off any fertilizer that may have landed
on the foliage and to help the fertilizer work its way into the root zone.
6. You can divide clumps of cardinal
flowers in fall every 2 or 3 years. Try and make sure each division has plenty
of top growth and roots. Any plants left growing in the same location for more
than 3 or 4 years tend to die out.
7. Make sure you spread organic mulch
over the plants in late fall or winter in other to ensure protection from
freezing winter temperatures in USDA zones 7 and colder.
Some of the things you will need
The following are the things you will
need; Mulch, Compost, Organic fertilizer, etc.
Furthermore, Cardinal flowers drop
tiny seeds after they mature. If you actually want to allow these seeds to
develop into seedlings, you can pull back the mulch around the plant when the
flowers at the bottom of the stalks begin to fade. Make sure you wait until the
seedlings are tall enough that they won't be buried before replacing the mulch.
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