Plant Care Library

Group/Class:  Bella Series

Description:

Mounded with a trailing habit, this compact and heat tolerant variety is the perfect addition to patio containers and hanging baskets; a long season bloomer that features small green foliage, blanketed with dainty tubular lavender blue flowers

Ornamental Features

Bella Mare Lobelia features dainty racemes of blue tubular flowers with lavender overtones and white throats at the ends of the stems from mid spring to mid fall. Its tiny narrow leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Bella Mare Lobelia is an herbaceous annual with a mounded form. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Bella Mare Lobelia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Bella Mare Lobelia will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 16 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant should be grown in a location with partial shade or which is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It does best in average conditions that are neither too wet nor too dry. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Bella Mare Lobelia is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.