Lobelia siphilitica alba (white cardinal flower) has stunning spikes of beautiful white flowers on light green foliage.  It flowers from August to September  just as some of the other pond plants are starting to fade, and is a great source of nectar for bees late in the season.  The unfortunate name is derived from the fact that it was used to treat syphilis!  This goes really well with the lavender-blue Lobelia siphilitica, and the scarlet Lobelia ‘Queen Victoria’ or Lobelia cardinalis.

These plants are one of the more tender that we sell and are classified with a hardiness rating of H3, so only hardy in coastal areas and milder parts of the UK.  Minimum temperature range is -5C to 1C, so they will need to be protected if a frost or hard frost is forecast.

Please note these may be cut back from May onwards, to remove the dominant central stem and encourage thicker bushier growth or to prevent the stems breaking in transit.

Lobelia after Matthias de Lobel plant collector and botanical author

Height: 60-90cm

Spread: 30cm

Planting position: Marginal plant up to 5cm full sun or partial shade.

Form: 9cm in pots

Recommended basket size min./ideal: 2 litre round/3 litre hexagonal

(Recommended basket sizes are for potting up 9cm (0.5 litre) plants only as these are supplied in solid pots.  Larger sized plants are already in aquatic baskets so can go straight in the pond, however they may need potting up or splitting at some point)