Those wet landscape spots sure can be difficult to make beautiful. It’s a good thing that native plants like Blue Cardinal Flower are around to fill and beautify spots that could be such eyesores without them. This selection has vigor that belies its tough growing conditions with strongly upright plants sporting medium green colored, long, lance-like foliage. Plants continue to grow upward as summer approaches, topping themselves with numerous long flower stalks. The buds on these stalks open in early summer revealing prominently lower lipped blue blooms that are striking to you and to all the butterflies and hummingbirds that will visit for a nectar snack. This selection will bloom throughout the summer and will thrive along streams and ponds even if their feet stay a little wetter than most other plants can tolerate. Why such a strange species name you might ask?? This native was used in years past as a folklore venereal disease cure giving it its unique species name!