Can You Cut Back Trailing Lobelia?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can you cut back trailing lobelia?

Yes. Cutting back lobelia plants improves their appearance and health

. It also encourages the plant to produce more flowers over a longer period of time. The three types of pruning that benefit lobelia plants are removing spent flowers, pinching, and cutting back.

Do you cut back lobelia for winter?

Lobelia Winter Care for Perennials

Perennial Lobelia in winter will die back. Leaves drop and stems may get soft.

Cut them back after flowering to a couple of inches (5 cm.) above the ground

.

How do I get my lobelia to bloom again?

To have the most blooms, it's necessary to

pinch or prune lobelia back to keep it bushy

, which will lead to continual flowering. Once flowers fade, prune them off and new buds will appear. Fertilize monthly. Feed lobelia on a regular basis with an organic fertilizer designed for flowering plants.

How do you maintain lobelia?


Water perennial lobelias, especially Lobelia cardinalis, regularly – the soil needs to be kept moist at all times

. Feed with an all-purpose, balanced food in spring and early summer, switching to a high potash feed from midsummer. Cut back old flower stems after flowering and trim back the old foliage in autumn.

How do you revive lobelia in a hanging basket?


Water the hanging lobelia basket often to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged

. Apply the water to the top of the basket until it runs freely out the bottom and sides of the container. During the height of summer, the hanging basket may require daily watering to keep the soil moist.

Does lobelia need trimming?

Should I Prune My Lobelia?

Yes. Cutting back lobelia plants improves their appearance and health

. It also encourages the plant to produce more flowers over a longer period of time.

Is lobelia frost hardy?

Planting and Growing Lobelia

Trailing forms are popular in hanging baskets, window boxes and containers. Low growing forms are ideal for the front of beds and borders, where a quick splash of colour is needed.

All forms flower constantly throughout the summer until the first frosts

. Suitable for any garden type.

How do you treat trailing lobelia?

Once established, the lobelia plant requires little maintenance. During hot, dry periods, care of lobelia requires that the plant should receive frequent watering, however, especially those in containers. A general-purpose liquid fertilizer can be given once a month or every four to six weeks, if desired.

How do you prune Lobelia cardinalis?


Cut back old flower stems after flowering and the old foliage in autumn

. Lobelia tupa may need some winter protection. Apply a mulch of bark chips or straw in autumn to protect the crown. Lobelia cardinalis is a short-lived perennial, so divide it every 2 years in spring to maintain its vigour.

Why did my lobelia stop blooming?


Too Much Heat

It does not like high heat or humidity and may cease flowering during this type of weather. At this point, you can remove your lobelia from its hanging basket and compost or discard it. If, however, you want to try for a fall bloom, prune off the spent flowers and trim the plant back to a tidy form.

Are trailing lobelia annuals?

Compact and popular, Lobelia erinus (Trailing Lobelia) is a tender perennial,

usually grown as an annual

, boasting masses of brightly colored flowers adorned with white or yellow throats from spring to the first frosts.

How tall does lobelia get?

Height: Annuals reach a maximum height of about

12 inches

. Perennials can grow to be 4 feet high.

Should you cut back hanging baskets?

One thing many people are afraid to do is cut back hanging baskets if the plants start to get leggy. But don't worry;

they like it

. In fact, like most annuals, the plants will respond by putting out more growth and the basket will fill in quickly or the other plants will take over.

How do you revive trailing lobelia?


Pick off a few diseased leaves or treat widespread rust with neem oil sprays

; if you act quickly you should be able to reverse the disease's progression. In the future, allow your lobelia more room to breathe — good air circulation can prevent many fungal problems.

Can you bring a hanging basket back to life?

The first and best option to bring your hanging basket back to life is to

replant it into a larger vessel

. Unfortunately, most commercial hanging baskets are sold with 10 to 12? pots as their growing container. To make it through an entire growing season, baskets should be at minimum 14 to 16? in size.

How long do lobelia flowers last?

Lobelia erinus includes mostly annuals, which grow up to 30 centimeters tall. Clusters of small flowers grow on the stalks – they are shiny. All varieties are valued for their long blooming period – red and blue lobelias keep their flowers

until November

.

What happens to lobelia in the winter?

Annual Lobelias

Unlike its perennial cousins, annual lobelia

dies back completely in the winter

, though some types may grow from seed in the spring. Many annual lobelias are cold-tolerant and will survive longer into late fall or early winter than other types of annual flowers, but frost will kill them.

What types of lobelia is trailing?


erinus ‘Laguna White'

is one of those ‘classic' cascading Lobelia varieties that one may see tumbling out of a basket. It has a trailing habit and attains a height from 25 to 30 centimetres with a spread twice as big. Unusually for Lobelias, this one is heat tolerant, at least more so than most.

Can you divide lobelia?


Lobelia can be divided in the fall

, however, that will disrupt the blooming cycle — lobelia is a fall-blooming plant. The best time to divide lobelia is in the spring, just after the new growth begins to emerge.

How long is trailing lobelia?

How big is the Trailing Lobelia? Upright Lobelia can reach heights of between 5.91 and 11.81 inches, depending on the variety. The shoots of the hanging varieties, on the other hand, can develop an incredible length of

up to 39.37 inches

.

Is trailing lobelia a perennial UK?


Lobelias are small, long flowering perennials from South Africa

. Lobelia erinus is a trailing species with masses of purple or blue flowers. It has fine stems and deep green leaves, which are toothed and roughly oval.

Do lobelia flowers come back every year?


Lobelia is a perennial plant that is often considered an annual

because growing conditions must be perfect for it to survive to rebloom another year. More than 360 species of lobelia are grown as annuals, perennials or shrubs.

Does lobelia prefer sun or shade?

PLANTING & LOBELIA CARE

How to plant: Lobelia plant performs best with

full sun to partial shade

and rich, well-draining soil. Choose a site that receives at least 4-6 hours of direct sun. Follow these steps and space garden lobelia plants 6-18 inches apart, depending on the variety.

Can lobelia be a perennial?

Commonly called cardinal flower,

perennial lobelia

is a super-easy North American native plant, especially if you have wet, swampy soil.

Do lobelia plants spread?

Lobelia can also be grown as a perennial where winter temperatures remain above freezing. In both the upright and trailing forms, mature dimensions are typically four to nine inches tall with

a spread of eight to 16 inches

.

How do you trim leggy hanging baskets?

How do you shorten hanging baskets?

How do you keep hanging baskets from getting leggy?

It happens to the best of us. There's an easy solution. If your plants look stretched and have fewer flowers on weak stems, it's time to give them a haircut. If they are growing in a hanging basket,

trim all of the plants in it so they grow back out evenly

.

Do lobelia grow back every year?

Why is my lobelia turning brown?


Lobelias don't care for heat or drought; their transport tissues aren't designed to function under extreme heat so leaves often brown and curl up from the outer edge inward when it's too hot

. Lobelia with brown leaves but healthy stems may have been exposed to too much sun or simply not watered enough.

Jasmine Sibley
Author
Jasmine Sibley
Jasmine is a DIY enthusiast with a passion for crafting and design. She has written several blog posts on crafting and has been featured in various DIY websites. Jasmine's expertise in sewing, knitting, and woodworking will help you create beautiful and unique projects.