The combination of big, wide-open, butterfly-shaped scarlet blooms and near-black stems is electrifying on this compact, free-flowering Lobelia! More tolerant of wind and shade than others, it is a joy for the perennial border and the vase, with a long, late season of bloom.

Starship Scarlet earns its name with the eye-catching shade of red borne on its blooms, but its merits go far beyond beauty. It is a hummingbird magnet, and because it flowers from midsummer into mid-fall in most climates, you get a longer season of winged visitors! Also, it is simply more floriferous than most others, with a columnar habit that packs a lot of color into very little garden space. Although Starship Scarlet is 20 to 24 inches high in bloom, it's seldom more than 8 inches wide. Very effective in small gardens and tight spaces!

This Lobelia is a hybrid of several species, with the best characteristics of each. It thrives in moist soil, but does not mind dry conditions, especially after it's had a season or two to establish in the garden. (Wet soil it will not tolerate.) A good choice for containers, its straight up-and-down habit complements all the mounding and trailing varieties out there today.

And Starship Scarlet is easy to grow from our pelleted seed. Sow indoors 6-8 weeks before planting out, and do not plant out until nighttime temperatures are reliably 60 degrees F or warmer. This Lobelia starts later than many, but finishes long past others, too! Enjoy its beauty for years in your sunny to lightly shaded garden and containers. Zones 6-10.