Salvia Gallery Page 35 Salvia raymondii subsp. mairanae This is a short-lived perennial or annual from the cloud-forests of Bolivia. It grows rapidly to 5 ft x 2 ft, and has many small purple flowers. The underside of the foliage is violet-purple in colour, which is often the case with cloud-forest Salvias. Its hardiness has not been tested, but coming from a high altitude, it may survive outside here. It prefers a shady area. Cuttings are not easy to root, but it has produced a few seeds. Salvia 'Silas Dyson' This is an outstanding form of Salvia microphylla or greggii, discovered by William Dyson, the British nurseryman and Salvia specialist, who named it after his son. It is vigorous, and very free-flowering. The wine-coloured flowers fade to a deep pink, and protrude from purple calyces. Best replaced every 2 or 3 years, as the shrub can become very woody. Propagation is best from cuttings, as seed may not come true. It grows well in a sunny or partly-shaded area. Hardy to about -6 degrees. Salvia 'Pink Icing' This is a new cultivar of Salvia greggii, discovered recently in New Zealand. The large flowers are two-toned with attractive shades of deep pink. I was recently given a plant, and I think that it will prove to be very popular. Cultivation will be as for all the other greggii and microphylla types. It will be interesting to see if there will be colour variations from seed. Salvia argentea flowers The beautiful woolly foliage of this Mediterranean Salvia is shown on page 27. The 3 ft. tall flower-spike appeared in July, and was of a pyramidal shape. The large white flowers have small purple hairs on the upper lip. The flowering period lasts only for about 3 weeks, and the flowers fade to a dirty brown. Seed is freely produced, but the inflorescence can be cut back to improve the chances of the plant not behaving as a biennial. Remember that the foliage is a delicacy for slugs and snails. Salvia farinacea 'Henry Duelberg' Other forms of Salvia farinacea have already been shown on this site. This is a particularly large and vigorous form which was found growing on the graveyard of Mr. Henry Duelberg in Texas. The flowers are a true blue. A large white form was named after his wife, Augusta. It can grow up to 5 ft. tall, and requires some support. From a distance, it can be mistaken for Salvia 'Indigo Spires', of which S. farinacea is one parent. It appears to come true from seed. Cultivation is as for the other types. Salvia haenkei 'Prawn Chorus' Salvia haenkei, from Bolivia, was described on page 9. This is a much smaller, and compact plant, only 2 ft. tall. The flower stems are very congested, with many bright red flowers. Like the species, it is expected to be borderline hardy, so cuttings should be taken. I hope that a dwarfing agent has not been used on this Salvia, in which case it could revert to the normal size, as it is a very colourful and appealing small shrub. A close-up of the flowers will show that the name "Prawn Chorus" is apt. Salvia mexicana 'Major' I had to include this lovely picture which was kindly sent to me by Annette Wright. This is considered to be one of the best of the many forms of Salvia mexicana. It will grow to 6 ft. tall, and more. Sadly, in the UK, most mexicanas are very late to flower, and often get frosted beforehand. They are also too tall to take into a normal-sized greenhouse. Salvia mexicana 'Limelight', shown on page 4, is perhaps the only mexicana which will reliably flower before the first frost. Salvia lanigera This small Salvia originates from The Middle East and North Africa. It is a tender perennial, which flowers in early summer. It requires a dry, sunny spot. The flowers are violet, and extremely tiny. The calyces are covered with white, woolly hairs, and are a very attractive contrast to the long, dark green leaves. The flowers are often invisible, as they do not protrude from the calyx. Not exactly a stunning Salvia, but very different, and interesting. Photo kindly supplied by Annette Wright, who has succeeded in growing this in a tropical area of Australia! Salvia coccinea 'Bicolor' Some other forms of Salvia coccinea have already been mentioned on this site. This one is perhaps just a form of Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph', but it is a much taller variety. In a good summer, it can grow to 5ft, and more. It is best planted en masse to be effective. Although a tender perennial, it is usually treated as an annual, as seeds generally come true. There are now some purple forms of S. coccinea around, but I have heard that they are not prolific bloomers. Salvia staminea Also known as Salvia transcaucasica, this hardy perennial is from large areas of Western Asia, at high elevations. It can be quite variable, but the form usually seem grows to 2 ft. and has creamy-white flowers. The leaves form a basal rosette, which dies back in winter. It is happiest in a sunny, well-drained area and is usually propagated by seed, which is plentiful. The flowering period is quite short, for about 4 weeks in early summer. Salvia patens 'Dots Delight' This terrific new form of Salvia patens was first shown at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2007. The upper lip is a mid-blue, somewhere between the species and 'Cambridge Blue'. The lower lip is white, which something of a novelty amongst the many cultivars of S. patens. The foliage is also interesting, the leaves being a darker greyish-green, and of a more triangular, almost hastate or sagittate shape. It seems to be more vigourous that the species, and does not seem to be setting seed as yet. There is a small possibility that this could be a hybrid, with other parent unknown. Salvia microphylla 'Wild Watermelon' Another microphylla cultivar which is proving to be popular in the UK. This is a very fast growing plant, with freely produced large pink flowers. It can grow to 4 ft. tall, but a spring pruning should keep it under control. Cultural conditions are as those for other microphyllas shown elsewhere on this site. Seeds of this variety seem to come true, but there is no guarantee. Therefore, cuttings are the best method of acquiring identical plants.

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