Lobelia

In Spring, a young's man fancy may turn to baseball, but my gardener's fancy turns to the light and airy blue and white lobelia. I try to get as much of this elegant plant as early in the spring as possible because it's extraordinary in hanging baskets. It you plant it in the ground, it tends to flop open at the center as it matures, which makes for an untidy plant. I didn't realize this the first year I tried it. I had scads of gorgeous blue mounds one day. The next, they'd flopped and it was a most unattractive site.

If you do plant them in a hanging basket, lay them on their sides so they hang over the edges. Then, you'll end up with a gorgeous basket of flowers. They don't mind at all hanging down, since it's their nature to do so. Lobelia is an annual and you can start your plants from seed if you begin early enough. But, I find it's much handier to keep tabs on all the local nurseries in my area.

Lobelia thrives in either full sun or part shade and produces masses of tiny florets in blue, white, purple or red; although, I've never found purple or red at a nursery. If you prefer those colors, you'd better start with seed. If you do, pinch off the tops when the seedlings are about 1" high as this will encourage bushy growth. As you see the flowers die off, trim them back to encourage further growth.

If you want to sprinkle lobelia throughout your 'ground' gardens, I'd still suggest using a planter of some sort so you can plant them on their side. That will give you the loveliest effect.

Here I put two little lobelia in front of a delicate fern for a bright and airy basket. Because the lobelia started out on its side, it's dainty florets spread out and draped gracefully. The name of this dark blue lobelia is Riviera Midnight Blue and it was a 1995 Fleuroselect award winner.