Downy Lobelia
Lobelia puberula
Wildflower Coming Soon
An elegant Virginia native with softly hairy foliage and loose spires of lavender-blue flowers. It blooms from late summer well into fall, providing valuable nectar when many earlier flowers are fading.
About This Plant
- Sun Exposure
- Full Sun, Part Shade, Part Sun
- Soil Moisture
- Dry to Medium, Medium, Medium to Wet, Wet
- Height
- 3-5 ft
- Spread
- 1-2 ft
- Bloom Time
- Fall, Late Summer
- Bloom Color
- Lavender-blue to blue
- Garden Uses
- Pollinator garden; moist border; rain garden; naturalized area; late-season garden
Downy Lobelia grows in sun or part shade and prefers consistently moist soil, but it can tolerate occasional wet or dry conditions and a range of soil textures including clay. Its tubular flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Individual plants may be short-lived, but it readily self-seeds when some open soil is available.
Good to know: Softly hairy stems and leaves; loose flower spikes; long late-summer-to-fall bloom; readily self-seeds