Lobelia 'Queen Victoria'

Lobelias can have issues with Slugs and Snails as well as Crown Rot. For Slugs and Snails, it is important to keep the area around the plant debris free and as dry as possible, especially at night as slugs and snails love damp conditions. You can use barriers such as egg shells or copper wire to surround the plant to prevent slugs and snails reaching the leaves. It is also a good idea to spray your plant with water which has boiled some garlic in it for around 2 hours. For more serious slug and snail control you can also use specific nematodes that will find the pests and cause them to die. Crown Rot is difficult to spot as most of the damage occurs at the root level. You may, however, notice a dry rotting form near the base of the plant that will spread to other parts. If this occurs, there is little that can be done and the disease is very dangerous and contagious to other plants so you should promptly pull the plant and discard it,either by burning or throwing it in the rubbish, not the garden waste. To prevetn Crown Rot, you should dry to prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged. This can be done by not overwatering the plants and also amending clay-heavy soils by adding organic matter such as compost and perlite or gravel.MORE

Water to keep the soil consistently moist. During hot and dry periods this could require watering several times a week or even once a day.

Plant somewhere the plant will receive at least 4-6 hours of sunlight every day.

Lobelias prefer consistently moist and fertile soil and can work well in bog gardens. Mix in plenty of organic matter such as rich garden compost before planting.

Feed with a slow-release general fertiliser in the Spring to improve plant vigour and blooms.