Cardinal Flower sorrow...

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Garnet1448 Davenport, IA Sep 17, 2015

I planted two beautiful Lobelia Cardinal Flower plants in June in memory of our 29 year old Nephew who died of cancer in May. He loved the St. Louis Cardinals. 😊. Both plants have done very well and are still blooming. But this afternoon I checked them and one was totally broken at the base and lying on the ground. 😢 The stems and leaves and flowers were all fine. Could the wind have snapped the whole plant. The other just two feet from it was fine. Wondering if the plant will come back from the root next Summer?
Thanks from a Dave's Gardener newbie.

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DaisyPlantLady Reno, NV(Zone 6b) Sep 17, 2015

I suspect it will be back in the spring and maybe even this fall.

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valal Natick, MA Sep 18, 2015

I have one I bought last fall that grew over 2 feet..and just gorgeous with many different spires/stalks. We had a heavy rain and it just drove the whole plant to the ground, and one of the spikes broke off. I'm going to have to stake it. But I bet it will come back no problem (next year if there's not enough time this year)

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nutsaboutnature Algonquin, IL(Zone 5a) Sep 18, 2015

As long as the rosettes at the base are still fine, they will come back.

If the stalk is still blooming, you might be able to prolong the blooms by sticking it into some damp soil or water.

I leave the seed heads standing over winter, but if you find that too unsightly, try waiting till they dry, then cut them down. The seeds are really tiny and hard to separate so I just break up the seed heads and toss them around. It can take a while, but I've been rewarded with more and more plants by doing that.

If you have any Hummingbirds in your area, they absolutely love Cardinal Flower!

Lastly, try to keep the rosettes free of any leaves that drop into your flower bed. They do better if they're not covered.

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valal Natick, MA Sep 19, 2015

thanks for the info, nuts!

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nutsaboutnature Algonquin, IL(Zone 5a) Sep 19, 2015

You're Welcome!

I forgot to mention that I usually have to stake at least some of the stalks.

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