Six Salvia Survivors
Two months since my last post in the #SixOnSaturday in the series inspired by The Propagator. That insanely hot weather was only the beginning and the severe lack of rainfall here has been a bit of a wake-up call for me and I've lost a few large shrubs as a result. It will probably be spring before I know the full extent of the casualties but for now, six surviging salvias, three of which are brand new to me this year. They have all survived and are in glorious bloom at the moment. Not that you'd know from these images as for some reason I find them incredibly difficult to photograph! If only the internet were "scratch and sniff" as every single one has wonderfully fragrant leaves. My first was acquired from a member of our gardening club, and my further interest was piqued by another member. I may now be hooked!
1) Salvia I know not what (yet) - something peachy
I'm going from newest to oldest. This was an impulse buy and it didn't have a label. In the "Before Times" a Christmas present from my niece was a voucher for a trip to The Savill Garden. We finally managed to redeem it a few weeks ago and it was a glorious visit. On the way out, there were some plants for sale, including this salvia. It was a bit leggy and in the reduced section but the one and only flower on this plant was a lovely peachy colour, one I'd not seen before on a salvia. So I acquired it. I've planted it in a sunny bed next to a Santolina and the peach flowers work really well with the silvery leaves in the background. I have no idea whether it is "peaches and cream" or something else, but I like it and will attempt to propogate it. at the moment it is about 30cm high but it has only been in about 8 weeks so we'll just have to see if it needs relocating at some point.
2) Salvia "black and blue".
Yes, you saw this last time and it has been flowering furiously since. I'd guess it is about 90cm tall now. Some of the leaves have been nibbled but nothing drastic. It still looks wonderful against the yellow rudbekia and that colour combination is giving me ideas for next year as I fill some of the gaps where plants didn't survive.
3) Salvia "Amethyst Lips"
This salvia is in a more shady part of the garden. It is another in the "lips" series and also has a tendancy to flop so I've got it supported.
4) Salvia "Amistad"
The third first for me and now the largest salvia in the garden. It must be about 1.5m tall and has put on all that growth since planting earlier in the summer. It, too, has been throwing off flower spikes for weeks and weeks now. Another one that is giving me ideas for next year. Currently it sits behind "black and blue" but I think I'll separate them, and then pair both with something yellow and/or something silvery.
5) Salvia greggii "Neon Rose"
The vibrant colour of this one is almost impossible to capture. It has survived on complete and utter neglect and is rewarding me with a lovely shower of flowers which really pop out of the bed as you walk along the garden. I'm going to try to propogate this one too before cutting back the parent plant a bit in an attempt to turn it from being a bit leggy into something more bushy.
6) Salvia "hot lips"
This was my first salvia. I acquired it as a cutting taken from a plant belonging to one of the members of our local gardening club and I managed to root it. For someone who up to that point had not always had much success in rooting things, this plant is indeed special. It is an unruly bush is beside a path and is now held from flopping completely across it by a semicircular support. It has survived both the "Beast from the East" and this summer's intense heat and drought. Brushing past it as I head down the garden releases the gorgeous aroma of the leaves. Its offsprings are happily rooting away in the greenhouse.
That's all for this week. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.
