The Daily Dig

Lobelia laxiflora / Mexican Lobelia
Family: Lobeliaceae
by CalHort Member Josh Schechtel

In my opinion, any plant that can withstand minimal summer watering and still look good is a fine garden plant. For years, I have passed a large, healthy and totally neglected clump of Lobelia laxiflora almost daily while walking my dog. It was planted alongside a curb many years ago, and has thrived on sun and neglect ever since, blooming from mid spring through early winter. Occasionally someone from the neighborhood chops it back nearly to the ground, and it soon grows back looking happier than before. Growing from underground rhizomes, this perennial lobelia can reach three feet tall, with bright green leaves on reddish stems.

When not in full flower, Lobelia laxiflora is a fine textured shrub.
The bright red tubular flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds.

At the stem tips are two-inch long red flowers with bright yellow throats. Hummingbird heaven. Although many sources say that this plant likes regular watering, I have seen it neglected in several locations, and it has always looked great. Just give it full sun and reasonable drainage and stand back. In the wild, Lobelia laxiflora grows from Arizona to Mexico up to altitudes of 4000 feet, so it can take some cold weather. Frost will kill it to the ground, but in spring it will once again send up its cheerful leaves. As an additional bonus, Mexican lobelia When not in full flower, Lobelia laxiflora is a fine textured shrub. The bright red tubular flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds.

The California Horticultural Society is an educational, non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together gardeners and garden professionals to share experiences. Its mission is to provide educational opportunities for California gardeners and horticulturalists.  Affectionately known as "Cal Hort" to its members, the Society is the oldest plant association in California. In the winter of 1933 an unusually frigid air mass withered gardens in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. A small group of concerned gardeners met to compare plant survival information, and they became the nucleus of the present Society.

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