In my experience they are hardy in zone 5 Michigan in heavy clay, but somewhat short lived. I planted a dozen of them in 1999 or 2000 in my mixed perennial/shrub/tree border. I lost a couple the first winter, they expanded some in the next couple of seasons, then lost a few more. All were gone within 4 to 5 years. Very pretty while they lasted though.

P.S. Mine were in pretty much full sun in the beginning, somewhat more shaded as the shrubs and trees (Crusader Hawthorns, dwarf thornless hawthorns which grow very slowly) grew. They stayed dark until bloomtime, greened out some after that. No noticeable difference in sun or part shade for me. They also got much taller than the 2 to 3 feet they are usually listed at - closer to 5 foot than 3 foot, possibly due to the wet clay.

You have been wonderful leslie, thanks so much for the info!

That is too bad they proved to be short lived for you. Do you think that was because they were only marginally hardy in your zone, or short lived by nature? There are a few micro-climate spaces around the garden- maybe I can find room for mine there so it won't die out right away!
Thanks again
CMK

I have read that Queen Victoria lobelias are generally short-lived, more so than the green varieties. I don't know if that is true and have never tried the green-leaved ones in my garden, so I don't have any personal experience with them. I was using the QVs foliage as a color echo for some then very tiny Crimson Pigmy Barberries & a Purple Leaf Sand Cherry, so I selected the QVs instead of the more common green-leaved ones, even though I thought that they might be short-lived for me. I was actually quite pleased that they did as well for me as they did. I'm not sure that giving them a protected area will help you to keep then longer or not. I think it might not.

Although I considered it, I never replaced the QVs with a green-leaved variety because the shrubs were getting larger and the Caesar's Brother Siberian Iris & red Anzac daylilies that I planted for spring and mid-summer bloom in the same areas grew so well that there wasn't really enough room for them anymore. As it is now, with this narrow 60 foot long mixed shrub border being over 10 years old, most of the perennials are being squeezed out.

My advice FWIW is to consider all your gardens as "in progress" and constantly changing and try Lobelia Queen Victoria if it fits your bed now & not worry too much about how long they last. It is a good plant, narrow & tall (always useful), has great leaf color that plays well with red-purple, bluish, or gold shrubs, contrasts well with the green foliage of most shrubs and perennials, and provides vibrant bloom color in late summer (also very useful). They are definitely worth the money.

P.S. They like moisture.

I grow all kinds of lobelia. The Queen victoria didn't overwinter for me in zone 5, even though the others are reliable year after year. I had it in an exposed location, so perhaps if you have a sheltered microclimate.

Thanks for the extra info leslie and Brenda. Certainly glad I spent only a buck on it instead of earlier this summer when I saw it at lowes for $12. Oh well, at least I may get to enjoy it for a couple years...maybe. ;-)
Thanks much
CMK

I know this is a old thread but just purchased 2 Lobelia's for my water garden. They are doing great.

Anything I can do help them survive the Chicago winter?