Very few flowers are as dreamy as this. We have a sea of its ethereal powder sky blue flowers in the centre aisles of the vegetable garden where it is the most commented planting in the garden at its height in autumn. S.
From the same cross (Salvia longispicata x farinacea) as S. ‘Indigo Spires’ comes this new tidily growing, large flowering, violet-blue blooming plant.
This was a standout plant at the nursery grower’s trials last December. Masses of rich burgundy flowers are carried over dark green glossy foliage. A shrubby plant making eventually some 50cm tall by 80cm across.
We first got seed of this very rare plant 20 odd years ago from an Archibald collection in woodland near the Turkish Black Sea Coast. We grow it in quite dense dry shade under olive trees and next to a privet hedge. It has large handsome leaves in a loose rosette.
Rich cardinal-purple flowers are carried, from spring until winter and beyond in mild climates, on a shrubby plant some 60cm tall by 90cm across. ‘Cardinal’ is happy in any sunny spot and doesn’t require much extra summer watering.
This Salvia has a tidy habit and is very free flowering. It features sparkling violet-purple flowers from December to late April. It was discovered in the Devon (UK) garden of former holder of the National Salvia Collection, Christine Yeo.
An Australian bred plant, 'Blaze' has all the virtues. It makes a rounded twiggy shrub which, from late spring until winter, has a succession of short spikes of deep crimson flowers. A light trim over during winter is the only care it needs.
Each variety of this series makes a compact shrub scented foliage and abundant brilliant red flowers from spring until autumn. about 75cm tall by a little more wide. The whole is covered in short spikes of large flowers from late spring until late autumn.
Newly imported, this is similar to Salvia greggii both in growth and needs but is a hybrid between S. greggii and S. microphylla. Makes a twiggy shrub covered with the most captivating of light lemon flowers for most of the warmer months.
PGA Nursery have kindly given us some stock of this new variety of Mexican Sage. ‘Santa Barbara’ is such a good plant, neater than other varieties, making a rounded shrubby plant, some 80cm x 90cm.
Our working title for this variety of Mexican sage. It was growing in my son Harry Glenn’s garden in Camberwell and is distinguished by its bright purple red flowers held in mauve calyces.
A dwarfer form of Salvia mexicana which we’ve had in the garden for over a decade. It makes well-foliaged shrubby growth to about a metre tall by a metre wide. As it is very vigorous it will do this in the first season.
A vigorous plant which in its first year has made a shrub 120cm tall by as much across. During summer and autumn it carries masses of glowing cerise flowers. During winter I shear and shape this plant to a round shrub about 80cm by 80cm.
Musk sticks aren’t lollies of choice for me although my grandchildren seem to enjoy them. This plant should be called musk stick pink. The musk flower, Mimulus moschatus, of my youth was yellowy browny orange from memory. Musk itself is brownish red.
This is a terrific new (to us) Salvia raised by Robin Middleton who has the excellent web page Robin’s Salvias. ‘Penny’s Smile’ is a seedling of Salvia ‘Silkes Dream’. It makes a shrub to 100cm tall by as much across.
One of the most popular new releases in recent years imported from France by one of our staff. This plant has proven to be tremendously popular and with good cause.
The first Australian release of a new salvia with dark red flowers displayed on long stems above the foliage. We selected this on a plant buying trip to Europe as one of the best of the dark red flowered Salvias available.
