Salvia Gallery
Page 28
Salvia nana
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A recent introduction to the UK, this is another Mexican species, which is also found in Guatemala, with small blue flowers with white
markings on the lower lip. What is different about this species is that it has prostrate stems which sucker along the ground, rather
like the Ecuadorian S. scutellarioides. The oblong, roundish leaves are large for this type, and new foliage is purple. Also, the
flowering stems are red. I doubt if this will be hardy in the UK, but it seems to be setting seeds already. There is a resemblance
to the 2nd S. clinopodioides (wrongly named, I think) on page 11, but that plant is much more compact, and has sweetly-scented
foliage. S. glechomifolia and S. prunelloides have been suggested as very close relatives.
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Salvia austriaca
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I never really liked this Salvia until recently, when I saw a superb specimen in the garden of John and Lynsey Pink, who now have
the largest National Salvia collection in the UK. It is a hardy perennial from Ukraine and other areas of central and Eastern Europe,
which sets seed regularly, and seems happy growing in any kind of soil, as long as it is well-drained. Flowering stems will grow to
3 ft. tall above a 2 ft. rosette of large, dark green leaves. Propagation is easy from seed, but plants will normally flower in the
2nd year, in June and July. The flowers are a pleasant shade of pale yellow, but the foliage does have a slightly unpleasant odour.
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Salvia pomifera
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This Salvia is rarely encountered outside of its native habitat of Greece and some islands, especially Crete. Not an easy plant to
cultivate in the UK, as it requires a Mediterranean climate. It will flower sporadically throughout summer, if it is happily situated.
It must have full sunshine and a well-drained soil. The small flowers are pale lilac in colour, with a splash of white. The leaves are
long, aromatic, and are a bluish-grey colour. Allegedy grows to 3 ft x 3 ft, but my plants are only 6 inches tall, and are already
in flower. In Greece, large galls can be found on these plants due to wasps, and these are used medicinally. This Salvia should be
quite hardy provided that it does not get waterlogged. Propagate from seed.
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Salvia coccinea
'Vermillion'
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Yet another form of the popular Salvia coccinea, which has been shown on other pages. This is a particularly tall form, already 2 ft tall,
and just starting to flower. I received seeds of this from Nancy Newfield, hummingbird specialist from New Orleans. Perhaps I would not
describe the colour as vermillion, but I cannot think of a more apt name right now. The flowers are slightly smaller than the more
well-known forms such as 'Brenthurst' and 'Lady in Red', but they are certainly different from what we have, until now, had
available in the UK. Pinching out should make this plant quite bushy.
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Salvia cyanescens
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This picture was taken on 3rd.July 2006 two days ago, and I am delighted with this plant, which has already been described on page 19.
For a change, I decided to grow it in a pot in the greenhouse, and the result has been very pleasing. Not affected by rain (not
that we have had much recently!), it has produced huge stems of lavender-coloured flowers, the whole thing like a candelabra.
Really beautiful! The pastel-coloured flowers combined with the silvery-green, hairy foliage make a wonderful combination. I
would suggest that seeds, though slow to germinate, should be sown as soon as they are ripe, to encourage flowers the following
year. Leaving this Salvia outside in winter could be risky.
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Salvia grewiifolia
(more flowers)
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Last year I showed a picture of the single flower I managed to coax from this extremely rare Salvia. This was on page 14. I had
difficulty keeping this Salvia alive in the greenhouse during the winter. But it survived, and now it has so many flowers in bloom,
on just 2 small stems. It could be considered to be a gem! It is still only 18 inches high, and it hardly sends out any new growth,
therefore making propagation extremely difficult. I may move the plant outside, just to see if it can be fertilised. If cutting
material does appear, I will try again, but my original cutting took 3 months to strike. (This Salvia has a very small root-system,
which makes me wonder if it is related to S. dombeyi.......which originates from the same area.)
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Salvia prunelloides
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A Mexican species, S. prunelloides sometimes gets confused with S. forreri, S. glechomifolia and others. It spreads by underground
runners, like S. forreri and is dormant in winter. The small flowers are mid-blue and appear throughout summer. Only about 1 ft. in
height, it can spread to 3 ft. It can be propagated easily using the underground runners, but cuttings can be taken, and it will set
a few seeds. The leaves are slightly shiny and appear to be hairless. This can be a good ground cover plant in the summer months.
A sunny position is advisable, and watering is necessary during dry spells.
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Salvia castanea
(new photo)
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Salvia castanea was described on page 15. I am delighted to include a new picture, as this is from my own plant, which did not flower
last year. I over-wintered it in a large pot, and kept it almost dry until mid-April, when I started to water it, and in mid-May gave it
a half-strength high potash liquid feed every week. This has paid dividends, as now I have 8 large flowering stems. It is currently
placed in a semi-shady area, and needs watering daily. The large flowers are the most beautiful colour imaginable, and of all the
Chinese species, I consider this to be my favourite.
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Salvia stenophylla
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This is a slightly weedy-looking Salvia which is native to South Africa. The narrow leaves are strongly aromatic. Salvia stenophylla
contains an oil which is used in skin-care and anti-inflammatory products. The very small flowers are pale blue, and occur for a short
period in summer. Full sun is required for this plant, which only grows up to 1 ft. high. It is supposed to be hardy here, but I have
found that it sometimes dies after flowering. It does set seed, which is easy to germinate.
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Salvia candidissima....maybe
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I obtained seed of this plant last year, as Salvia hydrangea. When the seeds germinated within 72 hours, I knew that it could not be
S. hydrangea. As it grew, it looked just like S. cyanescens, but became more bushy. Now it is in flower, and the flowers have a white
upper lip with a few tiny purple spots, and the lower lip is pale yellow. This indicates that it could be Salvia candidissima,
which is closely related to S. cyanescens, and it is native to Eastern Europe, Turkey and Iran. The same conditions should be
provided for both species, and water-logging must be avoided.
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Salvia officinalis 'Berggarten'
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Of all the many cultivars of Salvia officinalis, 'Berggarten' has probably the truest blue flowers. S. officinalis is found in
Spain, the Balkans, and North Africa, but I think this cultivar originated in Germany, probably at the Gottingen Botanical Gardens.
It is easily recognisable even when not in flower, as the large, grey-green leaves have round tips. Flowering occurs in early summer.
It will grow well in a sunny area, and is drought-tolerant. It grows up to about 18 inches, but its spread can be more than 6 ft,
making an excellent-ground cover plant. Use the leaves in cooking, as it is a form of Common Sage. Propagate by cuttings, as seed
production is modest.
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Salvia microphylla
'San Carlos Festival'
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Yet another useful cultivar of S. microphylla, others of which are shown on previous pages. This is a particularly compact,
dome-shaped plant. The flowers are magenta in colour, and the leaves are grey-green. It only grows up to about 1 ft. but spreads
to about 3 ft. What is very appealing about 'San Carlos Festival' is that the large flowers are in compact whorls, unlike most
other microphyllas, which have much longer flowering stems, producing a mass of colour. Propagation should be from cuttings.
This cultivar is reluctant to set seed here.
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