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Vulcan Red Lobelia is a striking annual flower that brings bold crimson blooms to hot, humid gardens across zones 4-9. This cultivar of Lobelia speciosa grows into a robust, columnar form reaching 24-36 inches tall, delivering dense and uniquely structured flowering stalks that stand apart in any landscape. Early-blooming and surprisingly easy to grow, it matures in 70-79 days and thrives in full sun, making it a reliable choice for gardeners seeking drama and color with minimal fuss.
Full Sun
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4-9
36in H x ?in W
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High
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The dense, columnar blooming stalks of Vulcan Red set it apart as one of the most striking lobelias available. This cultivar handles heat and humidity exceptionally well, performing reliably even in challenging garden conditions. Its early blooming habit and robust growth structure make it equally at home in indoor containers or as a statement planting in garden beds, delivering exotic visual impact from midsummer onward.
Vulcan Red Lobelia is grown primarily as an ornamental flowering plant for garden beds and indoor containers. Its columnar growth habit and dense blooming structure make it particularly valuable as a cut flower specimen and as a focal point in mixed plantings where its deep red color can anchor garden design schemes.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow on the surface of moist seed-starting mix and maintain temperatures around 70-75°F for germination. Keep seedlings under bright light once sprouted. Transplant into individual pots when large enough to handle.
Harden off seedlings over 7-10 days before moving them outdoors after all frost danger has passed. Transplant to full-sun locations spaced 14 inches apart, with rows 30 inches apart. Handle seedlings gently to avoid damaging the delicate root system.
Deadhead spent flower spikes regularly to encourage continuous blooming and maintain the columnar form. Pinch back growing tips early in the season to promote bushier growth and denser flowering stalks.
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“Vulcan Red Lobelia represents the modern development of Lobelia speciosa as a cultivated ornamental. Selected for its vigor, columnar form, and deep red coloring, it reflects decades of plant breeding aimed at creating lobelias specifically suited to challenging American growing conditions, particularly hot and humid regions. The variety's non-GMO, open-pollinated genetics preserve the ability for gardeners to save seeds, maintaining a direct connection to the plant's lineage.”