Salvias

There is a danger at this time of year of the garden to start losing colour. But there are several groups of plants that can keep things going. One of these is Salvia (sage). Many Salvias are in full flower now and will remain so until the frosts. They tend to be an underated group, perhaps because so many of them are not very hardy. But their strengths are that they can provide late colour, are often very long flowered, and tend to tolerate dry conditions. These are some of my favorites.



Salvia viridis (annual sclary). This is probably the only true annual Salvia you will meet. Many other Salvias are sold as annuals but are really tender perennials. Like many Salvias the colour comes from coloured leaves and coloured bracts, as well as from the petals themselves, and you can see that here. You can buy packets of seed of this quite freely, but they are usually mixed colours. Chilterns sells packets of the individual colours.



Salvia splendens. This is usually known just as bedding Salvia, and the short dumpy plants are beloved of council parks and formal bedding schemes. But there are some taller varieties, closer to the South American species. This pink one is big enough to hide my wheelie bin. I have also shown a tall red variety, which has now been in continuous flower for over 10 months. Although perennial, it is not hardy and so is usually grown like an annual from seed, or you can take cuttings.



Salvia microphylla (tangerine sage). This is reasonably hardy, and will grow into a bush of 4' x 4'. Its a prolific flowerer, with 5 or even 6 months in flower being normal. The flowers are normally pink or red, but can come in a range of colours, this one being maroon.



Salvia 'Mystic Spires' in blue can be bought as a small plug alongside the Geranium and Fuchsia plugs that garden centres stock early in the year. Another long flowerer, growing up to 3 '. Its probably hardy in most parts of the country, but I still protect mine over winter just in case. Its a sterile hybrid, so you can't get seed, but cuttings are very easy.

Or the right in red is Salvia coccinea. A bit like Salvia splendens but more refined. A tender perennial, but again usually grown from seed. And another long flowering plant. Two years ago I grew some from seed in a light box, and they started to flower in December, and were still flowering 12 months later in December of the following year. Being tender, they were inside during the cold months.



Salvia involucrata. This has the most weird flowers. It grows to 3' and will flower from mid summer to the first frost. Needs winter protection. It won't set seed in this country.



Salvia leucantha. This is the Salvia that Christopher Lloyd said he 'most drooled after'. It looks like and feels like velvet. Grows to 3' but needs winter protection. The flower stalks can be anything up to 18" long.



Salvia patens. This grows from a tuber and consequebtly can be treated like a Dahlia, lifting and storing the tuber over winter. Or it can be grown from seed like an annual. The normal variety has a beautiful dark blue flower, but pale blue (above), white and pink exist.



Salvia guaranitica. This is another tuberous Salvia, whch is probably hardy in most parts of the country. It can grow up to 4' or 5'.



Salvia darcyii. This was only discovered about 20 years ago. Grows to 3' and hardy to about -8C.

If I had to pick just two, I would chose Salvia microphylla , as a trouble free plant that flowers for up to 5 months, and Salvia 'Mystic Spires' as a really eye-catching plant.

 

Thanks for sharing your love of Salvias with us, Peter. I must say that I like this species of plant too, since they are very little changed from their wild cousins, another favourite of mine.

 

I was hoping to see your Salvias Peter, they are spectacular.:gnthb:
I shall overwinter Mystic Spires outside, see how it gets on.

 

A beautiful collection Peter.:gnthb:

 

Thank you so much this, Peter ... you know I just love Salvias.

I really like that S viridis with the coloured bracts. As you know, I didn't have much success with some of the seeds you sent me but I still have your S 'Mystic Spires' which is doing well. Also, whilst sorting seeds over the last couple of days I found a packet from you of S patens which had obviously escaped me and I hope I can get it going and that it is as beautiful as yours. And the S guarantica ... one of my favourites and I must go back up into the hills to get a cutting of that marvellous one up there that I had failure with last year. That S darcyii is quite a beauty! If I remember correctly, most of mine from here are the S microphylla?

All my others are doing well and I just keep clipping them and they come back stronger and stronger.

 

Oh my, those are all just gorgeous.

They look nothing like the salvia that we get here in Canada.

Simply stunning!

 

Thank you all for your kind comments.

Victoris the S. viridis (the first picture) shoud do well for you as it is native to the mediteranean area.

Penny - except for the S viridis all the others come from the Americas - Southern US, Mexice and S America. So I would have thought you would have seen some of them in garden centres. But your cold winters will be a problem.

 

I wish i have seen some that look like that, if i had, they'd be in my gardens now.
So pretty, and i cant decide which one is my favorite.

 

Hi and thanks Periwinkle.

You have put your finger on the problem of overwintering them. I have them in a frost free summerhouse, which doesn't really get enough light - so its not ideal.

But you can grow a lot of them from seed as if they were annuals. This is true for Salvia viridis (true annual), S. patens, S. splendens, and S. coccinea. These will all flower well in the first year.

 

Nice info and pictures, peter. I love them too, they smell nice too.

 

I was given one as a gift yesterday..."Hot Lips"...Small,White with a bright red edge.
Beautiful!

 

Hi Nick. 'Hot Lips' is a Salvia microphylla. Its a small shrub, which should be hardy but may appreciate a sheltered position. It will grow to about three or four foot high and wide, and flower for a very long period. Its a varient of the maroon coloured one in the third picture above and is a sun lover.

Being a shrub, you don't cut it back to ground level as you would with herbaceous plants. But you can shape it and cut it back a certain amount in spring. Its a funny one in that it is the only bicoloured microphylla being part red and part white. But the colour can change with the weather. Mine's pure white at the moment.

 

Excellent info Peter:gnthb:...I was a little unsure where to plant it. I may even keep it in a tub for now, to make sure it's snug during any cold spells.

 

S microphylla is reasonably hardy but not much more. And each variety will vary a bit. I have a large red flowered one in the garden of 3' by 3', which is now about 6 years old. I cover it with fleece to be on the safe side. But you are probably a bit warmer than me.

If you Google the name and come across Salvia gregii - don't be confused. Gregii and microphylla are virtually identical and some people consider that they should be regarded as one species. They hybridise with each other very easily, and 'Hot Lips' may well be a hybrid. The original plant was found as a chance seedling in Mexico - so no one is quite sure of its exact parentage. xJamensis is the name of the hybrids - I have just seen one site call it that. - but they don't really know.

 

What a marvellous thread! I knew there were different colours, but thought that they were just mainly red and dark blue.

We've had the red ones in the garden every now and then and they've made a lovely splash amongst the other summer plants, but that has been it. Well, apart from a blue one this year at home which did not do well at all. I think it didn't have enough sun.

Last week I bought a Blue and Black Salvia over here in Florida. It was one from a reduced price table but looked like it would make a comeback and do well. So, fingers crossed for it.