More Dramatic Than Marigolds: The Cascading Annual For Your Container Garden

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Bold blooms. Vivid colors. Ruffled petals. If you've ever caught marigolds at their peak bloom, you probably know that they're anything but shy. However, marigolds don't hold a monopoly on drama. Plants with cascading stems, like the trailing lobelia (Lobelia erinus), for example, can be just as bold and beautiful.

Lobelia is an herbaceous perennial that's often grown as an annual, and is a popular choice for container gardens. The plant is easy to grow, and is also loved by pollinators. Better yet? You won't have to worry about keeping deer out of your garden with trailing lobelia planted in your pots, as it's considered deer-resistant. Size-wise, the trailing lobelia is small, growing about 6 to 9 inches tall, with a spread just a bit larger at 12 inches. 

As for lobelia's leaves, they're narrow and green and you may notice a bit of bronze. Flowers appear on the plants in April and June, and they fill the plants completely with blue, pink, white, or purple flowers.

As mentioned, you can even grow lobelia as a perennial, in USDA zones 10 and 11. One thing to keep in mind is that trailing lobelia can be somewhat difficult to propagate from seed. So, if you are looking for beautiful houseplants you can grow from seed, you might want to choose another plant.

You can plant lobelia in any adequately sized container and even group plants together if the pot is large enough. Just make sure that when planting lobelia in groups, you maintain a spacing of around 6 to 12 inches between the plants. If you grow plants too close together, they'll be more prone to pests and diseases.

It's also important to note here that containers dry out faster than the ground. So, make sure you check and water your container-grown trailing lobelia plants regularly, as they like moist soil and do not tolerate dry conditions very well. You can even automate your plant watering by installing an individual drip irrigation system to keep your containers adequately watered.

As for placing the container, choose a spot that sits in full sun or part shade. Don't put trailing lobelias in too much shade, as flowering plants like it often bloom less when they don't get enough sunlight. And you want this plant to bloom to its full potential.

Feed lobelia regularly with a balanced fertilizer, like EZ-Gro 20-20-20 All-Purpose Liquid Plant Food, biweekly during the growing season. Just make sure you follow all the label instructions and don't overfertilize. In general, container plants are often more impacted by overfertilization as compared to plants grown in the ground.