LOBELIA. Nearly worldwide. A huge and extremely variable group, ranging from small annuals to giant semishrubby perennials. All have irregular, two-lipped flowers, and often these are strikingly colored. Most are winter deciduous. The following vary in culture (though all should have well drained soil) and hardiness.

‘Brightness’. A majestic tall hybrid, involving L. cardinalis or L. fulgens, or perhaps both. It makes compact clumps of shoot-crowns, each of which produces many narrow, shiny, deep green leaves up to 8" long. A stout, leafy stem rises from each crown in mid to late summer, carrying dozens of velvety 2" flowers. These are painted a deep, vibrant red within, rose red without. The plants will need abundant moisture. Around 0^oF.

chinensis. A carpeting perennial, useful as a seasonal ground cover for moist sites. It has short, profusely branched stems which root freely as they go. Lying nearly flat on the ground are ½" shiny, bright green, broadly oval leaves. Small, light pink blossoms nestle among the leaves throughout the warmer months. It may be evergreen in particularly mild climates but disappears entirely during the winter for us. Probably 10^oF or less.

‘Eulalia Berridge’. Another robust hybrid, similar in all respects save flower color to ‘Brightness’. That color might be best described as pink gone berserk.

fulgens. A beautiful Mexican perennial which closely resembles the cardinal flower (L. cardinalis) of the eastern U.S. It clumps freely at the base, producing compact colonies. Basal leaves are long and tapered, heavily tinged with purplish red. In spring and summer leafy reddish stems rise to 2' or more, finally displaying brilliant red flowers up to 2" long in late summer and fall. Essentially evergreen in mild winters, otherwise deciduous. Sun or light shade, constant moisture. Probably 10^oF or less.

laxiflora. Mexican lobelia. A geographical companion to the last, but very different in appearance. It is a bushy, semi-shrubby perennial, spreading by underground rhizomes to make close thickets. The stems are rather slender but sturdy, and bright to dull red in color, contrasting nicely with 2-4" narrow, light green leaves. It is nearly everblooming in coastal climates, mostly summer blooming elsewhere, displaying 2" narrowly parted blossoms, yellow within and red without, at each shoot tip. A permanent and impressive perennial. 15^oF or less, resprouting from the rhizomes after extensive damage to the tops.