What Are the Growing Characteristics of the Cardinal Flower?

Plant Development

• Seeds that drop from the flower spike of the cardinal flower germinate any time of year the soil is moist, especially after three or four months of chilly weather. In the southern United States, where winters are mild, seeds may sprout in winter or spring, but farther north, the seeds sprout in summer or not until the following spring. Plants overwinter as a small rosette of leaves where winters aren't too cold. Otherwise, the leaves and stems die back and the plant survives dormant underground. The root system include short rhizomes, which are fleshy, carbohydrate-storing stems with thin, true roots radiating off for absorption of water and soil nutrients.

Growth Characteristics

• When frosts no longer occur in spring, cardinal flower produces a basal clump of narrowly oblong, lance-shaped green leaves. Often glossy and bright emerald green, leaf edges may be blushed bronze. Stems grow upright from the ground, rarely branching. The stems usually are purplish-green. Leaf and stem growth continues across spring and much of summer until the stem tips bear the cluster of red flowers anytime from late midsummer to early autumn. Hummingbirds pollinate the tubular blossoms, which leads to seed production.

Growth Habit and Size

• In average, moist and fertile soils, cardinal flower grows 36 inches tall and 12 inches wide as a clump of multiple upright leafy stems. However, this perennial prospers in wet soil conditions, such as in a bog, drainage ditch, on a lake or stream bank or other low-lying area where shallow water exists. It's not impossible to have a cardinal flower produce towering stems and flower clusters that reach 5 to 8 feet tall. By contrast, if soil isn't overly fertile and not as consistently moist, a cardinal flower may only grow 12 to 24 inches tall.

Perpetuity

• Individual cardinal flower plants are not long-lived. If growing conditions are ideal, expect three to five years of life. If hummingbirds or long-tongued butterflies or moths are not present for pollination, seed capsules will not likely form. A planting of cardinal flowers in a garden or natural area will self-perpetuate with continual new generations of seedlings. Also, if a tall stem flops over or is deliberately weighted down atop moist soil, it will take root and create a clone plant. Dry soil is a limiting factor for the success or spread of cardinal flower in a landscape.