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Lobelia Erinus

Smita Pandit
A species of the Lobelia genus, the Lobelia erinus is a flowering plant that is native to southern Africa. This write-up provides information on the different varieties of this flowering plant along with tips on caring for this plant.
Lobelia erinus is a flowering plant that belongs to Lobelia genus and Campanulaceae family. This herbaceous plant produces flowers that come in amazing hues like pink, white, red, blue, and purple.
The trailing and bedding varieties of this plant can be used for beautifying one's garden. The compact bedding variety can be used in hanging baskets, or as an edging plant or ground cover. This plant has a long flowering period, with the flowers blooming from mid spring to early autumn.

Varieties

There are various cultivars that can be selected for garden use. You can decide the variety depending on their colors. Some popular cultivars are Crystal Palace, Rosamund, Blue Moon, Cascade, and Gracilis. Lucia, which produces dark blue flowers, attracts birds and butterflies and looks great in containers as well as ground cover.
If you love snowy white flowers, you can check out the variety called White Lady. Both White Lady and Blue Moon look great as edging plants or borders. For edging a bed, choose mounding variety called Paper Moon. If you want a cascading variety, check out the Fountain series.

Growing Lobelia

You can either sow its seeds or buy a plant from any garden center. In case you don't wish to buy a plant, you will have to sow the seeds indoors. Here's what you need to do:
☞ Sow the seeds indoors in late winter to late spring. Within 16 weeks, you will be able to see flowers on the plant.

☞ Make sure you sow 10-12 weeks before the last frost is due. Its seeds require temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
☞ Wait till the seedlings are large enough to be handled. Transplant them into trays of potting compost and make sure that you space them at least 2 inches apart.

☞ When the danger of frost is over, you can transplant it by placing them at a distance of 4-6 inches from each other.
In case you are not sowing seeds, you could buy a plant from the garden supply store.

☞ Before you plant them in flower beds, you must replenish the soil with manure or fertilizers.

☞ Water them more often during the dry spells.

☞ Lobelia grows the best in cool spring weather. In midsummer, cut the plants and prune them to half their height.
☞ During the humid or hot weather conditions, you might see a decline in foliage growth and flowering. Pruning must be done at this time. You must also keep the soil moist.
☞ Once the weather changes, you might see beautiful flowers again on your plant.

☞ Another important aspect is pinching. Make sure that you pinch out the dead heads. This is to encourage branching and profuse flowering.
There are several varieties of this flowering plant with different growth habits. You can use its mounding varieties for flower bed edging. Follow the aforementioned instructions on growing and caring for this plant.