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Lobelia ‘Arcade’ is shown in the
Trial Garden at the Dallas Arboretum. All photos by Jimmy
Turner. |
Lobelia
‘Techno Heat’ and ‘Waterfall’ series
AT A GLANCE
Latin name: Lobelia erinus ‘Techno Heat’ and
‘Waterfall’ series
Common name: Lobelia
Flowers: Blue, white or pink
Mature height: 10” tall with 2’ spread
Hardiness: Early spring annual
Soil: Well-drained
Exposure: Full sun
Water usage: Medium
Sources: Local nurseries
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‘Waterfall’ |
Few flowers are as blue as the pure electric blue of lobelia.
Unfortunately for us Texas gardeners, lobelias historically just haven’t
been great plants for our high-heat climate. Luckily, in the Dallas
Arboretum Trial Gardens, not only do we test the newest and weirdest
plants, but we also search for the absolute best varieties of familiar
plants that will take our extreme climate. For the last few years we
have been testing lobelia varieties, searching for cultivars that will
last at least from early March until late May. I figure if we can get
three months of flowers from a plant, then it is worth the trouble to
bring it home.
 One
thing we discovered quickly was that cutting-grown varieties were much
tougher, grew larger, flowered longer, and handled the heat better than
the cheaper, smaller, seed-grown varieties. So when you are at the
nursery and can’t remember what variety to buy, just look for the ones
growing in the larger pots or trailing over hanging baskets. They are
usually of the vegetatively grown varieties.
The two best series in our trials for the last
three years have been ‘Techno Heat’ and ‘Waterfall’. Both of these come
in multiple colors, and grow to about the same size. I like to use them
in pots, baskets and window boxes more than in ground plantings. Make
sure to plant them in full sun to light afternoon shade and in
well-drained soil.
This isn’t an all-summer flower, but one to help
soothe that spring itch to buy plants for the garden in early March.
Lobelia makes a great filler until the weather warms up enough to bring
out the really heat-tolerant plants.
About the author: Jimmy Turner is
the senior director of gardens at the Dallas Arboretum. Visit
http://www.dallasplanttrials.org/ for more information on his
trials. |
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