Highlights
If you want hummingbirds in your garden, plant this flower immediately. Cardinal flower sends up a tall, straight stalk which it then covers in tiny red flowers filled with nectar. Cardinal flowers like sun to part sun and need consistent water to thrive. Plant Cardinal flowers in groups of five (ideally) and watch hummingbirds zip around all summer. Scroll below for planting tips.
Cardinal flowers are summer treats to have in the garden. Their tall stalks offer 360 degrees of nectar access for pollinators—including hummingbirds. They also love wet areas, so plant these in your rain garden, along streams or ponds, or even near gutter downspouts. In this article, we will cover ideas on where to plant Cardinal flower so you’ll feel confident about planting some in your garden.
Let’s keep digging in with a question:
Have you ever noticed that plastic hummingbird feeders are often red? This is because hummingbird eyesight is attuned to seeing red, orange, and yellow colors.
Why do hummingbirds love cardinal flower so much?
These flowers have evolved to be an ideal hummingbird nectar food source. Here are three reasons why these plants are hummingbird favorites:
Cardinal flowers are tallish—2-4 feet—perfect for hummingbird access
The height of the plant makes it perfect for hummingbird snacking. The 2-3 foot height of cardinal flowers put them high enough for a hummingbird to easily fly around and access the red flowers from all sides. As you can see from the video above, cardinal flowers are made to be hummingbird buffets.
Cardinal flowers = hummingbird cups
Just looking at a cardinal flower shows how perfect it is for hummingbirds—its flowers are shaped to be hummingbird cups. The individual flowers on the cardinal flower stalk tip slightly up to contain the nectar within, while the shape of the flowers is perfect for a hummingbird’s beak.
Red is a favorite color of hummingbirds
Have you ever noticed that plastic hummingbird feeders are often red? This is because hummingbird eyesight is attuned to seeing red, orange, and yellow colors. The reason may be that these colored flowers have the sweetest nectar.
The Brandywine Conservancy states, “Some reports indicate that blossoms in these colors are higher in sucrose—a form of sugar that hummingbirds can fully metabolize.” Love knowing that hummingbirds are looking for the sweetest flowers ❤️
Butterflies love cardinal flower, too
Cardinal flower nectar is also a sweet treat for butterflies. Butterflies and hummingbirds are both after the flower nectar held within a cardinal flower petal cup.
Where is cardinal flower native?
Native to 41 US states, Washington, D.C., and 3 Canadian provinces (New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec)
Sources: NatureServe, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (World Checklist of Vascular Plants) and the USDA PLANTS Database, compiled by The Plant Native. How we map native ranges
Where cardinal flower grows naturally
Cardinal flowers’ native habitat includes meadows or the banks of streams or waterways. Mimic this water-pooling area in your yard to help your cardinal flower thrive.
Where cardinal flower shines in your yard
Ensure your cardinal flowers receive consistent moisture to flourish; if the soil dries out, the plant may die. Cardinal flowers are happiest in moist garden locations, like an area near a gutter downspout or where water tends to collect after rain. Rain gardens are great places, too.
How to grow cardinal flower
As long as we plant native plants in areas that mimic their natural habitat, they will thrive. For cardinal flowers, this means part sun to full sun and consistent moisture.
Grow cardinal flower from seeds
Cardinal flower seeds are incredibly tiny, so when you get a seed packet, you get thousands of seeds.
- For just $4.95, you can get a packet of 2,000 cardinal flower seeds from Everwilde Farms
- You can also buy a packet for $4.95 from American Meadows
Plant cardinal flower seeds in the fall
According to Everwilde, “Direct sow cardinal flower seeds in late fall, planting on the surface of the soil since these seeds need light to germinate.” In the spring, the seedlings will emerge. Keep them watered regularly during their first year to get them established.
Planting card
Lobelia cardinalis
Plant cardinal flower seeds in the spring
Cardinal flower seeds need to be cold for 30-60 days before they wake up and start to grow. (This type of cold nap before seeds wake up is called “dry stratification.”) This cold napping period mimics what these seeds experience in the winter, out in the wild.
If you get seeds from a cardinal flower in the fall or winter, you can mimic the wild indoors! Here’s how (steps from Prairie Nursery):
- Store seeds in Ziploc bags in a refrigerator, or in a rodent-proof container in an unheated building (like a garage) over winter for 30-120 days
- Most prairie grasses and wildflowers—like Cardinal flower—require only 30 to 60 days of dry stratification to break seed dormancy
After their cold nap, it’s time to plant the seeds.
To start indoors:
- Sow the seed 6-8 weeks before the last frost of spring
- Keep the soil lightly moist until germination (water in a spray bottle works well)
- Transplant the seedlings as soon as there is no chance of frost
- Water daily on dry days for the first month to get them established
Grow cardinal flower from plants
There are many ways to find cardinal flower plants for your garden. Here are four reliable ways to find some:
Cardinal flower has a cousin: great blue lobelia
Cardinal flowers are related to another pollinator favorite: great blue lobelia. Both are in the Lobelia genus, make tall stalks, and are covered with flowers.
As you can see, their color difference is clear (the cardinal flower is red, and GBL is blue-purple), and their flower shapes are different.
What are good cardinal flower pairings?
There are so many other hummingbird and butterfly-friendly plants that look great with cardinal flowers and like the same water-heavy area. Here are some inspiring plants to pair in your garden:
Where can I buy cardinal flower?
Cardinal flower is a beautiful and easy-to-grow plant that’s perfect for any garden. By following the simple care tips we’ve shared, you can enjoy its bright red blooms for years to come. To get more ideas on native plant gardening, explore our native plant library, visit our guide to the Best Native Plants for Rain Gardens or keep exploring our thematic guides below. Happy planting!
Sources
- Harris, Marjorie. Botanica North America: The Illustrated Guide to Our Native Plants, Their Botany, History, and the Way They Have Shaped Our World. (2003), 89-90.
- Johnson, Lorraine. 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for American Gardens in Temperate Zones. (1999), 40.
- Johnson, Lorraine and Colla, Sheila. A Northern’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators. (2023), 120.
- Nelson, Gil. Best Native Plants for Southern Gardens: A Handbook for Gardeners, Homeowners, and Professionals. (2010).
- USDA Plants Database, Cardinal Flower.
Similar plants
-
Bee Balm
-
Lilies
-
Penstemons
-
Butterfly Weed
-
Swamp Milkweed
-
Phloxes
-
Great Blue Lobelia
-
Columbines
-
Hummingbird Mint
Updated Find more: Red Flower Hummingbird Favorite Summer Full Sun Part Sun Wet Rain Garden Moist
The ads on this site help pay real native plant nerds to research and write these guides.
Garden notes
Notes from people who’ve grown it
Tips, wins, and the occasional disaster. If you’ve grown cardinal flower, share the advice you’d give to a neighbor.
Add a note
No notes yet. Yours could be the first.
Grown cardinal flower? Tell the next person what you wish someone had told you.
Tap anywhere to close
