Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Group/Class:  Suntory Series

Brand:  Suntory

Description:

A wonderful compact and heat tolerant series, showing uniform and early blooming; small, sky blue flowers pop against green foliage; mounded habit, perfect for patio containers, hanging baskets and borders; easy to grow and low maintenance

Ornamental Features

Suntory Compact Sky Blue Lobelia features dainty sky blue flowers with purple overtones and white eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Suntory Compact Sky Blue Lobelia is an herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and may require the occasional pruning to look its best. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Suntory Compact Sky Blue Lobelia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Suntory Compact Sky Blue Lobelia will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Suntory Compact Sky Blue Lobelia is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.