Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia)

Size: 3-4’ tall / 1-1.5’ wide

Sun: Part Sun to Part Shade

Soil: Rich, Moist 

Bloom Time: Late Summer - Fall

Deer Resistance: 4/5

Great Blue Lobelia is a short-lived, clump-forming perennial that prefers moist-wet soils in part shade. While it can tolerate full sun, it will need constant moisture to thrive there. Despite being short-lived, it will reseed in ideal conditions to form small colonies. It is typically found by water in the wild, but it can tolerate more average soil conditions provided that is is planted in a shadier spot.

In late summer, it produces blue flowers that attract pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It serves as a larval host plant for six species of moths and butterflies, including one specialist moth-- Plevie's Aquatic moth. While this is not the preferred food source for deer, they may eat it when food is scarce.