Take A Look At Lobelias Techno Heat And Waterfall

By Jimmy Turner|February 24, 2012

Few flowers are as blue as the pure electric blue of lobelia. Unfortunately for Texas gardeners, lobelias historically haven’t fared well in the high-heat climate. In the Dallas Arboretum Trial Gardens, however, 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 a plant to flower for three months, then it is worth the trouble to bring it home.

One thing we discovered quickly was that cutting-grown varieties were much tougher. They 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 the vegetative-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 it can help soothe that spring itch to buy plants for the garden in early March. Lobelia acts as a great substitute until the weather warms up enough to bring out the really heat-tolerant plants.