YEAR OF THE SALVIA
Blue, red and purple varieties add spiky texture and vertical life to the landscape
Salvia adds spiky texture and vertical lift to the garden, as well as those elusive shades of blue — Indigo Spires, Mystic Spires Blue, Mysty Blue and Big Blue.
Proven Winners has introduced the new “Rockin” salvias, which really live up to their name. Not only are Rockin Deep Purple and Rockin Fuchsia rocking with color, they also perform well with pollinators. As I was unloading them on the driveway, they were already getting hit on by hummingbirds and bees.
You’ll find the Rockin salvias at your local garden center, timed perfectly with the declaration of 2019 as the Year of the Salvia by the National Garden Bureau.
Rockin Deep Purple will reach 30 to 40 inches in height, while Rockin Fuchsia is slightly shorter. They all are listed as Salvia hybrids and all have black or dark calyces, reminiscent of Salvia guaranitica or anise sage. They are touted to be perennial in zones 9 and warmer. But they’re also worth growing as annuals.
Think about how much fun it will be to grow flowers for the hummingbirds versus hanging feeders, using sugar or buying hummingbird food. You won’t be changing out water and cleaning feeders but simply watching them feed on the plants you are growing for them. You will also be bringing in bees and butterflies.
Also in the Rockin series is Rockin Playing the Blues and Rockin Golden Delicious. Rockin Playing the Blues is similar to Indigo Spires. Gold
en Delicious is a chartreuse-colored pineapple sage that will sport red flowers.
Your combinations in the landscape are only limited by your imagination. A simply sensational combination is Rockin Fuchsia salvia with Truffula Pink gomphrena in a large container with Superbells Coralina calibrahoa spilling over the rim.
Sunlight and rich, welldrained organic soil will give you the green thumb when it comes to growing salvia.
These I’ve mentioned are imports, but the United States is home to some incredible salvias, such as the mealy cup sage or Salvia farinacea. Look for deep-blue, gray and white selections at your garden center.
The scarlet sage, Salvia coccinea, is native to the lower southern states. As the name suggests, it is a saturated red. The cherry sage or autumn sage, Salvia greggii, is native to Texas and blooms nonstop from late spring until frost. It, too, is a deep red with other colors now available.
If you plant salvia in your garden, you’ll find it’s the Year of the Hummingbird, too.