GardenWizzPlant Care Card

Trailing Lobelia

Lobelia erinus L. · Annual

Hardiness
H2 Tender (to 1 to 5°C)
Position
Full sun, Partial shade
Height × Spread
10–50 cm × 10–50 cm
Soil
Moist but well-drained (RHS Lobelia erinus profile 142728 Soil panel). Soil types accepted: Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand. pH: Acid, Alkaline or Neutral. For containers use a peat-free multi-purpose or loam-based potting compost with reliable moisture retention (RHS cultivation note + UK hanging-basket practitioner guidance).
Flowering
May–October
Toxicity
No toxicity recorded

The Gardening Year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
🌱 Sow
🪴 Plant out
🌸 In flower

Watch out for

Slugs and snails: Standard UK slug and snail control — copper tape around baskets, hand-picking at night, ferric phosphate pellets, beer traps; do not let compost stay waterlogged. (RHS Pests: 'May be susceptible to slugs and snails'.)

Rust (Puccinia spp.): Improve air circulation, avoid overhead watering, remove and bin affected material. RHS Diseases note: 'Generally disease-free' — rust is occasional rather than routine.

Root and stem-base rots (Pythium / Rhizoctonia / Phytophthora group): Use free-draining container compost, water in the morning, avoid waterlogging, raise baskets so excess water can drain; replace affected plants and not the same compost. RHS Diseases note: 'Generally disease-free' — these are preventable rather than expected under UK cultivation.

Full guide: gardenwizz.com/plants/lobelia-erinus © GardenWizz — UK gardening encyclopedia