Salvias

[Chrisg]

I know a few people on here have a soft spot for salvias or did a couple of years back.

There is a colourful post on A Growing Obsession blog today about them.

here's the link http://agrowingobsession.com/?p=46198&u ... -find-some

[LONGK]

Some inspiration there Chris.

I was thinking about starting a Salvia thread as I am wondering whether it's just me or have other peoples Salvia been disappointing this year? Most of the hardy ones were so late to get going that they may as well have saved themselves the effort! I have two huge S.elegans but not a bloom between them. Star performers as always have been S.glutinosa, S.discolor and S.microphylla. Salvia confertiflora is a new plant this year and did at least bloom, but it certainly has bulked up nicely! Wendys Wish has been particularly under-performing compared to previous years.

Robins Salvias is a site that I visit frequently...........................

http://www.robinssalvias.com/gallery.htm

[Chad]

I have done quite wel with Salvia this year.

Here is a bed that is more 'formal' than I usually do.



Starting at the front on the left is Savia 'Nachtvlinder'.





Next to it and on the far right are two strains of S.macrophylla. First is the floppy one.



Then the 'upright' form.



These are both best grown for the leaves with the flowers being a small bonus. The flowers are more blue than the next pictures suggest, but as the distance shots show they are not 'showy'.





Salvia confertiflora is behind the Dahlia, although hardy here it was so late into growth ater the cold spring it hasn't yet started to flower - it should be above the Dahlia by now.

The 'star' this year has been a large form of Salvia patnes from Derry Watkins. This isn't 'Guanajuato' - that is very shy to flower here.

[charlie]

Been an odd year for Salvia here, uliginosa died out over winter (note to self - need to do some cuttings), strange considering how mild it was, involucrata I put in the fruit cage at the base of a wall because it had done poorly for the last two summers where it normally grows, it has gone berserk and reached 6'+, confertiflora is flowering but is not as good a show as normal and poor cacaliifolia never got planted out so is looking sad in some small pots!