Quick Guide: spring/autumn, half hardy, full sun, height: 15cm/6in, width: 23cm/9in
Lobelia erinus, a perennial treated as an annual, is an indispensable element in summer bedding schemes, while the trailing varieties are invaluable in window boxes and hanging baskets. Their diminutive size and intense colours - blue, magenta or bright white - make lobelias good companions for petunias, pelargoniums, French marigolds and fuchsias.
PROPAGATION Sow seed in pans under protection and with gentle heat in late winter. Prick out the tiny seedlings in groups of 3 or 4 into trays and grow on until all danger of frost has passed. Plant out in early summer.
GROWING Annual lobelias like light, free-draining soil. If grown in containers, be careful not to let the soil dry out.
VARIETIES `Cambridge B1ue', compact, pale blue flowers, light green foliage; `Crystal Palace', compact, dark blue flowers, bronze foliage; `Rosamund', carmine-red, white centre; `Snowball', white.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Damping-off and root rot may cause plants to collapse.
