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Perennial · Deer-resistant
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Also called: Red Lobelia
Spikes of the most intense scarlet of any native flower, rising from moist shade in late summer. Its shape and color are built for hummingbirds, which pollinate it almost exclusively.
Growing & care
The one native here that wants consistent moisture — perfect for a rain garden, pond edge, or downspout. Let it reseed, as individual plants are short-lived. Part shade in hot regions.
Bloom season
In bloom: Jul–Oct · Colors: red
Where to buy
Look for cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) at: Prairie Moon Nursery, native Texas nurseries.
Sources
Range, nomenclature, and the USDA symbol above come from the federal plant record for this species. Check it yourself:
Good for
Plant it with
Natives that pair with cardinal flower
Same conditions, same uses — species that share cardinal flower's growing requirements and belong in the same bed.
Inland Sea Oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
The rare ornamental grass that thrives in shade, dangling flat, papery seed heads that shift from green to bronze and rustle all winter.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A prairie staple whose big rosy daisies feed butterflies in summer and finches in winter.
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A well-behaved native vine — none of the invasive habit of Japanese honeysuckle — with clusters of coral trumpets that hummingbirds cannot resist..
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
The classic golden prairie daisy — cheerful, tough, and endlessly reseeding.
Coralberry
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
A modest suckering shrub for shade that comes into its own in fall, when the arching branches string themselves with clusters of coral-pink berries the birds strip by spring..
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A vigorous semi-evergreen climber that covers a fence or arbor in orange-red trumpets in early spring — timed for the first returning hummingbirds.