Plant Care Library

Description:

This beautiful variety has striking deep red flower spikes that rise above medium green foliage; excellent in a dappled sunlight garden or containers; this one maintains a great form and is an excellent border planting

Ornamental Features

Compliment Deep Red Cardinal Flower features showy spikes of red tubular flowers rising above the foliage from early to mid summer, which emerge from distinctive dark red flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its serrated pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Compliment Deep Red Cardinal Flower is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Compliment Deep Red Cardinal Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Compliment Deep Red Cardinal Flower will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.