Starship Scarlet Lobelia Seeds

Genus:Lobelia
Species:x speciosa
Variety:’Starship Scarlet’
Zone:6 – 10
Bloom Start to End:Mid Summer – Mid Fall
Habit:Compact
Plant Height:20 in – 24 in
Plant Width:6 in – 20 in
Additional Characteristics:Bloom First Year,Butterfly Lovers,Flower,Free Bloomer,Hummingbird Lovers,Long Bloomers,Season Extenders
Bloom Color:Red
Foliage Color:Black,Burgundy
Light Requirements:Full Sun,Part Shade
Moisture Requirements:Dry,Moist, well-drained,Wet
Resistance:Cold Hardy,Drought Tolerant,Heat Tolerant,Humidity Tolerant
Soil Tolerance:Clay,Normal, loamy
Uses:Border,Containers,Cut Flowers,Outdoor

The combination of big, wide-open, butterfly-shaped scarlet blooms and near-black stems is electrifying on this compact, free-flowering Lobelia! More tolerant of wind and shade than others, it is a joy for the perennial border and the vase, with a long, late season of bloom.

Starship Scarlet earns its name with the eye-catching shade of red borne on its blooms, but its merits go far beyond beauty. It is a hummingbird magnet, and because it flowers from midsummer into mid-fall in most climates, you get a longer season of winged visitors! Also, it is simply more floriferous than most others, with a columnar habit that packs a lot of color into very little garden space. Although Starship Scarlet is 20 to 24 inches high in bloom, it’s seldom more than 8 inches wide. Very effective in small gardens and tight spaces!

This Lobelia is a hybrid of several species, with the best characteristics of each. It thrives in moist soil, but does not mind dry conditions, especially after it’s had a season or two to establish in the garden. (Wet soil it will not tolerate.) A good choice for containers, its straight up-and-down habit complements all the mounding and trailing varieties out there today.

And Starship Scarlet is easy to grow from our pelleted seed. Sow indoors 6-8 weeks before planting out, and do not plant out until nighttime temperatures are reliably 60 degrees F or warmer. This Lobelia starts later than many, but finishes long past others, too! Enjoy its beauty for years in your sunny to lightly shaded garden and containers.