This is the first time this has happened, to this degree. Usually spraying for rabbits and deer to leave it alone, helps.
Here are some possible pests and solutions, one being birds. Read below:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/birds-eating-flowers.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/plants-rabbits-dont-like.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/using-predator-urine-in-gardens.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/camouflage-gardening.htm
Hi my hanging baskets have seeded elsewhere. How can I keep them till next year -- lobelia etc. Many thanks
You can try growing them indoors over the winter; make sure they get enough light and keep from freezing.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/lobelia/lobelia.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/lobelia/cutting-back-lobelia.htm
I live up in Cumbria West facing garden with a small pond 3m x 3m
I wouldn't put them in the pond, since the water level would likely go well over them. On the outside of the pond would be better. They can tolerate being at the edge of water.
Here is an article that will help you to grow the plant:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/cardinal-flower/growing-cardinal-flowers.htm
Bought a few days ago and still in the original pot. Has not been let dry out and is not waterlogged. Buds started to open and then the plant went limp. I have propped up and given a feed but no change.
Try more water. Lobelia is a bog plant and needs moist soil. If it's in a pot, it likely needs water everyday. It also should be in full sun in cool areas to part shade in warmer climates.
https://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/cardinal-flower-9-25-09.aspx
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/cardinal-flower/growing-cardinal-flowers.htm
s are there or orange ,would i be best to string shapes first this is something new as lost sight in right eye and what a new inte rest can you advise me on the flowers and and materials needed for this and can i prepare in advance for next summer
If you want it to last all summer, use annual flowers. Most perennials only bloom a few weeks. Petunias would work well, they come in red, white and blue. Here are more ideas:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/fgen/grow-a-red-white-and-blue-garden.htm
Instead of draping down my Lobelias stand straight up in my hanging baskets. How can I get them to hang down along with the Calibrachoa?
Unfortunately, it won't. They are upright plants. You would need a trailing plant.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/lobelia/lobelia.htm
Here are some plants that will do well in handing baskets:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/best-hanging-houseplants.htm
These plants will do well in handing baskets, but there are some non-trailing plants mixed in the article, too:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/containers/hanging-basket-plants.htm
off them have produced giant leaves, some up to 6" long, and no flowers. Why?
Most likely your lobelia was a cultivar, meaning it could be a hybrid of two or more varieties, or it is a sport that is produced asexually. This means it won't come true from seed, or it won't look exactly like the original plant.
Another possibility is your lobelia was a biennial species. These send up foliage the first season and bloom the second season.
If the lobelia variety was perennial, you may not see blooms till the third year after sowing.