Lobelia speciosa Fan Salmon

The Lobelia hybrid 'Fan Salmon' is a remarkable perennial that will liven up flower beds from summer to late season; very floriferous from July to September, it is also interesting for the unusual coloration of its foliage combining green, bronze, and purple. The plant forms a beautiful clump of upright and sturdy leafy stems, resistant to wind, adorned with numerous flowers beautifully cut in salmon pink, more intense at the center of the corolla, remarkably bright, noticeable from afar in the garden. This excellent variety is easy to grow in full sun or partial shade, in deep, fertile, and relatively moist garden soil. It is a good companion for wood sage (Salvia nemorosa) and perennial delphiniums.

The Lobelia Fan Salmon belongs to the family of Campanulaceae. It is a horticultural hybrid resulting from cross-breeding between several botanical species: Lobelia.gerardii, L. cardinalis, L. fulgens, and L. siphilitica. It is a deciduous herbaceous plant, perennial from its stump, with aerial vegetation disappearing in winter. Combining the qualities of its parents, this Fan Salmon hybrid is a fast-growing variety, relatively hardy (-10/-12°C at its coldest) and very floriferous in ordinary soil.

From a rosette of purple-red leaves, a clump of upright and sturdy stems, 70 cm (28in) in height, develops in spring, adorned with entire, ovate-lanceolate leaves. Initially purple when very young, these leaves turn greener during the season but retain a strongly bronzed coloration. From July, the stems bear numerous flowers with 2-lipped corollas divided into 5 small lobes resembling leaves, light as butterflies, whose colour, very vibrant, is a pink salmon hue. This flowering continues until the first frosts in October.

The Lobelia x speciosa Fan Salmon will have a beautiful effect when planted in large clumps in a perennial bed or near a water feature, where it will appreciate the very moist soil in summer. It can also be grown in a pot on the terrace or balcony, with careful attention to watering and fertilizing. For example, pair it with the Delphinium grandiflorum sinensis, an absolutely delightful perennial larkspur, with white foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea Alba), and place a bugbane (Cimicifuga Brunette) in the background, somewhat sheltered from the sun. This perennial also pairs well with the Chelone obliqua.