Salvia cultivars Archives - Page 2 of 2

Salvia miniata

November 18, 2020November 27, 2020 Stephen Carlin

Clear red Salvia miniata flowers shine brightly from a shady spot in the garden. They contrast beautifully with the dark green, shiny leaves. According to BC, Salvia miniata comes from shaded mountain hillsides at around 600 m height, in warm and moist parts of Belize, and Chiapas in Mexico. Consequently it needs a frost-free climate to survive outdoors. Although BC describes it as a herbaceous perennial, it grows and flowers year-round here. The thin glossy leaves give it a lush look for a salvia, but it is surprisingly drought tolerant; I kept…

Salvia Ember’s Wish

December 5, 2018March 16, 2021 Stephen Carlin

Salvia ‘Ember’s Wish’ is one of the stand-out cultivars at the red end of the spectrum. Not a pure red, Robin Middleton describes the colour as coral, which is helpful. I think the photos here are fairly true to nature.

Salvia roscida (fallax)

June 26, 2018April 1, 2021 Stephen Carlin

Salvia roscida has a unique form which gives it a particular role in my garden as a hedge, screen or pioneer. It is tall, densely foliaged and upright, which makes it useful as a hedge or screen. Spikes of pale blue flowers are held vertically, above the foliage. As Rolando Uria comments, the stiff spikes of flowers are reminiscent of Plectranthus (Coleus). Here, flowers start in May (late Autumn) and last until Spring. Description Salvia roscida can grow more than 2 m high. The caney stems branch from the base…

Salvia Harmony

March 31, 2018July 2, 2021 Stephen Carlin

This is a lovely low growing salvia with masses of deep blue flowers from late Summer, and attractive foliage the rest of the time. Salvia ‘Harmony’ is also called Salvia scordifolia by some, but as ‘scordifolia’ means ‘garlic leaf’, I am inclined to follow the opinion that it’s not a real name. Robin Middleton writes that it is reported to have been found in Ecuador, then grown and sold for a while under the wrong name. He also writes that it is particularly difficult to grow in the UK due to…

Salvia madrensis

December 29, 2017March 1, 2021 Stephen Carlin

Salvia madrensis is remarkable among the sages for having yellow flowers. This makes it particularly desirable for anyone with a salvia collection. It is called forsythia sage in the Northern Hemisphere, less so here where Forsythia is rarely seen.

Salvia Amistad

November 27, 2017March 21, 2021 Stephen Carlin

Salvia ‘Amistad’ is one of the best performing cultivars and a must-have plant for a salvia collection. It has large purple-blue flowers in dark purple calyces, and will flower abundantly for most of the year in warm climates. It is a bushy salvia, about 1.5 m high and 2 m across. Leaves are around 7 x 5 cm, broad at the base and coming to a point, mid green and covered with tiny stiff hairs. Amistad was discovered and introduced by Argentine salvia expert Rolando Uria. It is believed to…

Salvia involucrata, a big showy subtropical sage

August 24, 2017April 30, 2019 Stephen Carlin

For sheer size and winter colour, Salvia involucrata varieties are outstanding in our subtropical garden. This is the original salvia in our collection. When we first moved into Hill House there was a well established patch growing at one of the entrance gates. It’s well away from the current house but nicely placed on the driveway to announce the house paddock with big pink flowers from autumn to spring.

Salvia elegans, pineapple sage

May 25, 2017March 16, 2021 Stephen Carlin

Pineapple sage, with its brilliant red flowers, scented leaves and neat shape, is a wonderful plant for the garden. The botanical name is Salvia elegans. I got my first pineapple sage plant as a scrawny slip from the $2 stand at a local nursery. I had never heard of it before, but the scent of the leaves made it seem like like a good addition to the herb garden. When it grew to a good-sized bush and was covered with red flowers through the first winter, I came to realise its true worth in the…