Few native plants stop traffic like cardinal flower, whose tall spikes of intense scarlet bloom from midsummer into fall. It is a short-lived perennial that keeps itself going by reseeding and forming new basal rosettes.
Where it grows in North Carolina
A plant of wet ground statewide — stream banks, seeps, ditches, and the edges of ponds and floodplain woods. It tolerates full sun where its roots stay moist and appreciates afternoon shade in hotter parts of the state.
Wildlife value
The tubular flowers are shaped for ruby-throated hummingbirds, the plant’s primary pollinator. Swallowtail butterflies visit as well.
In the garden
Ideal for rain gardens, pond edges, and low spots that stay damp. Keep the soil consistently moist, and let a few flowers set seed so the colony renews itself.