Cardinal flower is normally planted from potted nursery starts in the spring, or by seeds sown in fall.
It is a fairly fast-growing plant that requires full to partial sun.
In hotter climates, it will do best with afternoon shade to provide shelter from the intense heat.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
To help retain soil moisture, try adding a layer of mulch around your plants.
Amending soil with heavy amounts of compost can also improve soil moisture levels.
Water
This plant appreciates plenty of water.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Cardinal flower can even tolerate prolonged seasonal flooding.
Be sure to maintain a consistent watering schedule that keeps the soil evenly moist.
Heavy twice-a-week watering may be necessary during hot months if no rain is falling.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
It is known to survive down to -34F, and some zone 2 gardeners have grown it successfully.
The named cultivars and hybrids, however, may be somewhat less cold-hardy than the native species plant.
Fertilizer
Cardinal flowers generally do not require fertilizer throughout the year.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
This one-time system is generally sufficient for healthy growth.
Use a large, well-draining pot filled with ordinary commercial potting mix.
These moisture-loving plants will require frequent watering when grown in containers.
These are not plants that can be moved indoors to grow as houseplants for the winter.
Instead, move the potted plants to a sheltered location out of the wind for the winter months.
Overwintering
In most regions, cardinal flower requires no special preparation or protection.
Do not cut stalks in the fallwait until spring.
These plants can survive extremely low winter temps but frequent thaw-refreeze cycles may cause them to perish.
The most common pests are snails and slugs, so takeprotective measuresagainst them if they show up.
see to it to keep neighboring plants cut back so that the cardinal flowers have room to breathe.
They usually flower in the first year.
What Do Cardinal Flowers Blooms Look and Smell Like?
The native species has scarlet red flowers, but there are also cultivars with white and rose-pink flowers.
it’s possible for you to fertilize every two weeks during the bloom period to help encourage bloom.
Common Problems With Cardinal Flower
Like many native wildflower species, cardinal flowers are pretty fuss-free plants.
A rich compost applied around the base of the plants can help.
But an older clump may spread out and become sparse.
They are unrelated to the bright scarlet songbird of the same name.
Cardinal flowers bloom in late summer when many other perennials are spent for the season.
Finally, cardinal flower is an excellent choice for butterfly and hummingbird gardens.
