Salvia - what have you got in your selections? What other plants are on your hit list?

[alp]

This year, I have come to love salvia .. Two years ago, I didn't know the difference between sage and salvia

Please share your delights .. I'm off and will take some decent photos with you later.

 

[Verdun]

Alp, there is no difference! Sage is salvia

 

[alp]

The veined flowers of sage are no comparison to those of salvia though.

Salvia hotlips, one of the most invasive ones, has gone totally white

Suncrest golden girl?

Despite several attempts, the Royal Tumble has floored me and I can't manage to get a good shot.

Love and Wishes is another worthy addition. Really like it.

Blue and Black is quite beautiful, with black bracts

And the lovely Amistad

 

[marlingardener]

We have salvia greggii, a native plant here in Texas. The hummingbirds and butterflies love it, it is hardy, drought tolerant, and makes a great border for the taller plants in flower beds.
Some folks object to the scent, but after cleaning out a chicken coop and going out in the morning to the gentle smell of a skunk, the scent of salvia doesn't really bother me!

 

[alp]

@marlingardener They are so lovely, so well established. The first one I bought was Hotlips which I took numerous cuttings. I wouldn't want to plant it in the border as it will take over and I have a small garden. Then I bought Royal Tumble which is red, look exactly like greggii red. If I see the Greggii Red, I will buy it, just to compare notes with you. Then I bought Salvia Sensation pink and and another blue ones. They were a bit boring and they died on me. I bought a Mystic spires. Very beautiful dark blue with hairy flowers. But one day, I came home, there was a hole in my garden, to this date, I don't know if it has been stolen or it has died on me. Caradonna has also died on me.

Then this year, I bought 2 salvia Amistad £1 each. Boy... I have been so pleased with them. They have grown so quickly and I have taken tons of cuttings. The beauty is that they all live.

I then bought Blue and black, Love and Wishes and Suncrest Golden girl. I think for seeds, I have La luna, and some creamy one. I have other seeds. I hope I can see them flower this year. I will bring them in and take cuttings as many as possible. It might be a bit late, but it's better than never.

 

[Verdun]

Hotlips changes flower colour according to the season and temperature, I think. Right now my neighbour has a "hedge" of it all with white flowers. It will flower in all but the coldest time in winter. A while back it had red; in between red and white flowers. A hugely overrated plant in my opinion. Long discarded
The pale blue salvia patens..cambridge....is a delight; a refreshing more subtle alternative to the dark blue salvias. I have it and will post a picture. Salvia leucanthemum has to be the most eyecatching salvia...again I will post a picture. Then there is Waverley, white with purple. Uliginosa here, at 9' tall has blue flowers with white "bunny" tails.
A lot of salvias alp if you are keen on them

 

[alp]

@Verdun please upload photos..

I love all my salvias, but they are so small that I have had great difficulty focusing on them, not to say bringing out their beauty. But I will persevere. I love the biggest blousy light blue ones. I will definitely try to get that one. I might have it as seeds already, but labelling is never my forte!

 

[Greenhorn]

I have some blue (Salvia farinacea) and some red (Salvia coccinea) that I've grown from seeds, but I like my Salvia clevelandii - Cleveland Sage the best. A local native that blooms and smells fantastic. Not the best picture.

 

[alp]

Love the idea that Salvia clevelandii is scented and the pics all show a lovely and quite different pastely blue flowers. Very pretty indeed. I googled and really like Salvia farinacea, and I might even have very similar seeds to that. I can't wait for my seeds to flowers ..Wonder if there is still chance. Now that I get up an hour late, the plants might be like me ... closing down..

 

[alp]

Today, I add Dyson's Joy to my salvia collection.

Cost me £2. Well pleased.

 

[longk]

I'm something of a Salvia obsessive and currently have about fifty and over the years I can probably add another hundred that I've lost or discarded. I mostly stick to species but I do have some cultivars and hybrids.

My absolute favourite hardy Salvia is a Chinese species - S.dolichantha....................

 

[alp]

That's a hairy beauty!

I love the blue ones Patens, or Guanajuato (I am actually very confused over these) There is a lighter blue one. My major disappointment is Jeans Jewel. They were fully grown, but, er, no flowers!

Would love to see more of yours!

 

[Verdun]

Salvias grow very well in this climate.....my "collection" includes patens varieties, Guanajuato, uliginosa, amistad, cacalifolia, waverley, Violin music, Blue Note, Love n Wishes, Embers Wishes, leucantha purple velvet, guaranitica, bulleyana, bethelii, carradona and one or two shrubby microphyllas.
For longevity of flower at least one or two salvias add so much to the garden.....here they can flower from early spring through to late autumn
Have I hinted that I am very fond of salvias ?

 

[longk]

I love the blue ones Patens, or Guanajuato (I am actually very confused over these) There is a lighter blue one.

Ok, so there are many forms of S.patens most of which are selections of naturally occuring varieties although some are a result of careful breeding.

• S.patens 'Oxford Blue' is a darker blue
• S.patens 'Cambridge Blue' is a light blue
• S.patens 'Dots Delight' is bicolored, medium blue and white
• S.patens 'Guanajuato' is a large flowered form

My major disappointment is Jeans Jewel.

That just strikes me as being S.gauranitica var. violaceae with a fancy name. That said S.gauranitica var. violaceae is a good bloomer so maybe if they are different plants you may be better off with that.

Would love to see more of yours!

Don't worry, I'll be boring you witless with photos of them over the next few weeks!

Salvias grow very well in this climate

In the Cornish climate you mean! The cold Cotswolds is less ideal.

 

[DrCase]

I have a blue one Me and the hummers like