Description of Lobelia cardinalis 'Queen Victoria'

Lobelia cardinalis 'Queen Victoria' is grown for two things: dark beetroot-coloured leaves and bright scarlet flowers. It’s often called cardinal flower, and it’s one of the best late-summer colour hits you can add to a bog garden.

Appearance

Leaves are deep red to purple-red and sit on upright stems. Flower spikes rise above the foliage and carry two-lipped scarlet blooms. It can reach around 80 to 90cm tall in flower.

It’s also a plant that looks good from close up. The leaf colour holds well through summer, so it still earns space even before the flowers start.

Care Guide

Moisture is the main rule. If the root zone dries, it sulks.

• Sun: Sun to part shade. In hot spots, a bit of shade helps keep the soil cool.
• Soil: Deep, fertile compost that stays damp. Add organic matter if your bog mix is light.
• Water: Keep it wet through summer. It can sit with shallow water around the pot, but don’t drown the crown.
• Feeding: A spring feed helps build strong stems and better flower spikes.
• Cut back: Trim stems after flowering or leave until late winter for structure.

It can be short-lived in some gardens. A simple fix is to let it seed lightly or divide a healthy clump when new growth starts in spring.

Suitability for Bog Garden

Lobelia cardinalis 'Queen Victoria' is ideal for the middle or back of a bog garden where it can stand tall behind lower plants. It also works right on the pond edge if the soil stays saturated.

It pairs well with green foliage, which makes the red leaves look cleaner. Try it next to rushes, sweet flag, or royal fern. If you want a strong block of colour, plant three together and keep the soil rich.

In a small bog, grow it in a pot sunk into the substrate so you can lift it to divide and you can protect the crown from winter wet if you ever need to.

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