An occasional report on all things Salvia !!!
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My previous reports are stored HERE
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Starting with that all important thing - the weather !!
SALVIAS IN THE UK, 2006
February 2006
As it is too cold and miserable to be in the garden or greenhouse today, I thought I would provide a short update. There will not be any
photos included this time, as any pictures of the dead Salvias in my garden could prove to be distressing to viewers! There are some
Salvias currently flowering in the greenhouse, but pictures of these are already on the site gallery.
Firstly I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Christian Froissart, the French Salvia expert, for allowing me to use many of his
personal photographs on my site. I have grown most of these Salvias in the past, but did not have decent pictures of them. Others I
still grow, but their flowering performance last year did not encourage photography. Thanks are also due to Yoji Saito in Japan, and
Matt Summers in the UK. I would also like to thank Kris Light, Aaron Schusteff, Michael Charters and Christopher L. Christie from the
USA for permitting me to include their photos of some beautiful species native to the USA. These Salvias are not available in the UK,
and on occasions when I have received seeds, they would not germinate, or they died when only a couple of inches tall. I would like so
much to see Salvia funerea and Salvia mohavensis flowering in the wild, they look like truly superb plants. I have seen some of the
Californian natives in flower....even here occasionally, but again, I would like to see these in spring, in California.
The website has proved to be very popular, especially in the USA, Japan, Australia, France, and to a lesser extent, the UK. Hits have also
occurred from South Korea to Liechtenstein, from Iceland to Argentina, and from Lithuania to Hawaii. My webmaster, Stuart Hodgson, and
I have enjoyed creating the site, and we both are delighted with the positive comments received. There have been suggestions that more
botanical details could have been included, but as I am not a botanist, I have to leave that to the experts. There are at least another
600 Salvia species, many of which are, unfortunately, not thought to be in cultivation. Though, every now and then, plant-hunting
expeditions to China, Mexico, Central and South America take place, and new species are discovered, or species which were thought
to be extinct re-appear. These occasionally find their way into the UK, sometimes by devious methods, but I never ask questions.
I am always on the look-out for new Salvias, but if I find little to recommend about them, I will not grow them. I leave them for
the National Collection Holders to cultivate. I have three new Salvias in bud currently: S. ranzaniana, S. multicaulis, and S.
siguatepequensis (which may be a form of S. karwinskii), and I hope to add pictures of these to the site soon. S. ranzaniana is
a minute Japanese species, and S. multicaulis is a very attractive species from Turkey, which is marginally easier to grow here
than many other Turkish species.
I have also recently received cuttings of S. heerii, S. pulverulenta (this might just be a form of S. involucrata), and S.
rhodostephana from Peru, which has been described as a pink form of S. sagittata. My problem is keeping these tiny plants alive
while it is so cold and dull. Two larger plants received are S. elegans 'Frieda Dixon', and S. madrensis 'Red-Necked Girl'.
In the greenhouses, the star of the winter-flowering species this year is undoubtedly S. littae. Stems covered with gorgeous magenta
flowers are flopping over because of the weight of the flowers. Other species which are flowering well at the moment are S. ionocalyx, S.
holwayi, S. cyancicalyx, S. carnea, S. dorisiana, S. striata, S. ampelophylla, S. gravida, S. purpurea (this could be S. iodantha,
but I don't think so), and of course, S. gesneriiflora. Others in bud include S. myriantha, S. 'Louis Saso', S. longistyla, and S.
grewiifolia. S. striata and S. carnea seem to flower all year round. Heating bills will be very high this year, as it has been so cold.
But the unusually cold, dull, and damp winter has produced the inevitable casualties. Salvia sessei and Salvia recurva have both died.
Others which are having a major sulk and are refusing to flower are S. sprucei, S. roscida, and S. orbignaei. All the buds of Salvia
florida have aborted, as have those of S. chinensis. The flowers on S. squalens are less than half of last year's size, and S. dombeyi
cuttings are being devoured by aphids.
The garden is a mess! It is always a mess at this time of the year, but 2006 is considerably messier than usual! Several times in
December and January, the night-time temperatures dipped to -10 degrees, which is uncommon where I live. These frosts seem to have
killed a lot of the S. greggii/microphylla plants, which have never suffered before. Some may resprout from underground, as it has
been a dry winter in general with no significant snow, so dormant plants underground have a good chance of surviving. Other generally
hardy Salvias such as ringens, candelabrum, recognita, and interrupta have been badly damaged, but are still "clinging on".
I have two small raised beds in the garden. I will rip out the dead greggiis and incorporate grit and sand into the soil. These beds
will be used for Turkish and Californian species in the hope that they will be happier there than in the main borders.
It will soon be time for seed-sowing again. This means that our dining table will be out of use for about 3 weeks, after which the
germinated seedlings will be moved into the greenhouse.
Kind regards to all who read this,
Robin
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