Salvia Gallery
Page 30
Salvia brevilabra
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This may or may not be Salvia brevilabra! It has been described as having purple/blue flowers, but this specimen, collected in Sichuan has chocolate-red flowers,
and is a beauty. Unlike many Chinese species, this Salvia will flower throughout the summer months. It should be very hardy, as long as it does not get waterlogged
in winter. It does set seed, but these have yet to be tested as to whether they will come true. It is smaller than some other Chinese species, growing to 2 ft. x 2 ft.
There is a very similar plant in the USA, which has yellow markings on the inside lower lip of the flowers. As yet, un-identified.
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Salvia macrophylla
from Ecuador
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This is a new introduction to the UK, collected by a botanist from Cally Gardens in Scotland. It does resemble S. macrophylla, mentioned on page 3, but an interesting
difference is that the underside of the foliage is a pleasing shade of purple. The whole plant is extremely sticky. The flowers are a gorgeous cobalt-blue, and are
very similar to those of S. macrophylla. However, the formation of the inflorescences is quite different from those of S. macrophylla. A different form.....or a new
species? Who knows? A rampant Salvia, which will grow rapidly into a huge plant. Killed instantly by frost, but it has set a few seeds.
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Salvia macrophylla
from Ecuador (close up)
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This is a close-up picture of a flower from the plant on the previous photo. The huge plant, though architecturally pleasing, is slightly
disappointing as the flowers are fairly small, and this Salvia needs to be observed closely to appreciate its true beauty. I suspect that
this Salvia could grow to monstrous proportions in its native habitat. Luckily it will flower throughout summer in the UK.
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Salvia atrocyanea
(close up)
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Salvia atrocyanea, described on page 1, has proved to be totally hardy in the UK, although the flowering stems will be cut down by frost.
This is a picture of the closely-whorled flowers. Not everyone's favourite Salvia, but I appreciate the architectural form of the plant. It attracts
bees by the million, and sets seed freely, though it can be time-consuming to find them. An essential Salvia for a large, herbaceous border, it will
be at its best in October.
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Salvia leucantha 'Eder'
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There are several forms of the popular Mexican Salvia leucantha, but this one is different in that the foliage is variegated. Otherwise
similar to the normal form of S. leucantha, it might be a slightly smaller plant. This is a recent introduction to the UK. All forms of
Salvia leucantha are very fine plants, but the late-flowering time here means that they invariably get frosted just when they are looking
their best. I saw a very deep violet form of leucantha in California which I would like to acquire.
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Salvia keerlii....plant
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On page 6, I showed a rather poor picture of Salvia keerlii growing in a small pot. This year I planted it out, in a shady area
(this was not deliberate...just had nowhere else for it) and with no sign of flowers during summer, this is how it looked in late October.
It is a very striking plant, and is still flowering after the frosts, probably because it is sheltered. Masses of greyish-blue flowers,
I keep looking for seeds, but have not found any so far. Flowers of Salvia
gilliesii can be seen behind it.
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Salvia subrotunda...3 plants
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The Brazilian Salvia subrotunda was described on page 20, with a close-up of the flowers. Here is a picture of a clump of 3 plants. Seeds took
much longer to germinate than those of most Salvias, but when they did, these plants took off with a bang! The clump is 4 ft.x 6 ft. and flowered
from late June until the 1st frosts. Seems to like a sunny area. It is similar to S. coccinea, but I think it is better. It seeds itself all over
the place, and some seedlings also flowered. Second only to S. tiliifolia for seeding everywhere, it is nevertheless a most attractive
introduction. Flowers tend to fall on hot afternoons.
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Salvia 'Phyllis' Fancy'...plant
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I showed a flowering stem of this Salvia on page 7, and reported that its hardiness was still being tested. Well, it survived -10C last winter,
and this plant is the result. 5 ft. x 5 ft. (Maybe even larger next year!) Hardly as spectacular as the specimen seen at Cabrillo College, but
this is a truly great Salvia, which I prefer to S. Waverly, its close relation. It started to flower in August, and was in full bloom when recently
burnt by frost in early November. A sterile hybrid, propagation must be from cuttings.
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Salvia carnea...flowers
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I originally obtained this as Species from "Valle de Bravo"
in Mexico. A dreadful picture of this is shown on page 6, but here is a close-up of the attractive pink flowers. This is quite a woody shrub, and
does grow rather alarmingly, so some pruning is recommended. This was named as S. gracilis for a while. It will flower for most of the year if free
from frost. Now another similar Salvia has arrived here, tentatively named as S. iodochroa, darker flowers.... This is probably just a different form.! Picture to follow.
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Salvia iodochroa
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This is the Salvia mentioned in the notes about S. carnea just now. It is indeed very similar, but the flowers are darker, and more congested.
It seems like a delightful Salvia, with a more upright habit. Hardiness has not been tested, but I imagine that it will be frost-tender, as is S.
carnea. It will probably not grow higher than 4 ft.It was discovered in the Oaxaca region of Mexico by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones of Crug Farm
Plants in North Wales. Their website, www.crug-farm.co.uk is well-worth a visit.
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Salvia 'Creme Caramel'
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This is very attractive form of Salvia greggii, described by William Dyson, who discovered it, as "having cream flowers suffused
with apricot, with caramel-coloured calyces". This is a very apt decscription. It would seem to be a compact variety, and not
inclined to get leggy, like some of its relatives. The same cultural conditions as for the other greggii types will be required.
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Salvia cuspidata
subsp. gilliesii
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Salvia cuspidata subsp. gilliesii was shown and described on page 3. This picture, taken on 30th October 2006, the day before the first frost here,
shows just how large this Salvia can be. It was 8 ft x 6 ft. It did not flower until mid-September this year, a month later than usual.
It is deciduous, as previously mentioned, but some pruning in late spring is advisable to keep it to a reasonable size, though this may
delay flowering. It did not appreciate the hot sunshine in July, and became droopy, so perhaps a semi-shaded position would be better.
It did survive temperatures of -10C last winter, but new growth did not appear until the 2nd week of June. It does set seeds but they
are time-consuming to find.
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