Wednesday 11 July 2018

A Winter Salvia

Salvias have become one of my favourite perennial plants to grow here in our garden. There's many things about them which led to my fondness for them. First and foremost is that they grow well here, proving to be very hardy plants. They don't mind the heat of our Summer! They are easy to grow and to propagate too. Taking cuttings works well! Salvia flowers come in a range of often vibrant colours, reds and purples and pinks bloom in our garden and are much loved by the bees and me! 

 Such a pretty pink!

One of many flower spikes.

Most of the salvias in our garden are at their best in the warmer months of the year but there is one which only comes into bloom during the Winter here. I have to wait all year to see its flowers and so love and appreciate it for its seasonal display. It's planted out the front, just inside our front gate, and for most of the year it offers only its fragrant foliage which is quite spicy and distinctive. 

An emerging flower spike.


Tall flower spikes reaching for the sky.

When the weather becomes colder though, flower spikes begin to emerge, growing taller and taller until they open into the most vibrant of pinks. I see these striking flowers each and every time I go through the gate and I always think about the colour they add to a Winter's day.

What's adding colour to your day?

Meg

p.s. I am very unsure as to what salvia this is. I picked it up, as a very small plant, at a market and forgot to ask. I think it could be Salvia involucrata 'Timboon' from my brief internet search.









22 comments:

  1. I love salvias, too! I have two or three right now, and this one looks well worth looking into... I think our climate may be similar.

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    1. Salvias are wonderful plants, aren't they! Do you have a favourite? We live in a sub-tropical zone so mild Winters and hot Summers here. Meg:)

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  2. These plants are really pretty Meg.

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    1. They are pretty, Kathy. I love that this one adds such vibrant colour to Winter out in our front garden. Meg:)

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  3. I can't grow Salvia's our soil is heavy clay, they grow for the summer, but our wet cold winters always kill them off. I dig up loads of plants each year put them into pots in my greenhouse over the coldest wettest months.

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    1. That sounds like a big job potting up your plants each year, Marlene. Our Winters here are very mild so things like salvia do well. Meg:)

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  4. awww very pretty! you could ask Mudbrick Cottage too, they grow lots of different salvias! i recently bought myself a salvia, am after plants that can cope with the heat & dry here; some acclimatise after awhile like the calendulas but it is a challenge getting a half decent flower garden growing, just so i can enjoy some flowers!
    thanx for sharing

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    1. I have found salvia to be one of the hardiest plants in our garden here, Selina. I hope your new salvia grows and flowers for you. They are so very pretty. Meg🌺

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  5. How pretty! I have never grown salvia but after looking at your pictures I think I may just have to try some.

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    1. They are easy to grow, Debbie, and some beautiful colours to choose from too. Meg ☺

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  6. I too love Salvias Meg, they do well in our dry summers here in South Australia. My favourite is Salvia "Discolour" which has flowers that are a very dark purple that look black from a distance.

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    1. I will keep an eye out for that salvia, Jan. It sounds beautiful! Meg:)

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  7. I've grown to love salvia's too, they are everything you've said they are.

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    1. I think they fact they are not bothered by the heat too much is a real bonus here given how hot the Summers are getting. Gotta love a plant like that! Meg:)

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  8. That's a very pretty salvia. My garden is choking in this heat, with our watering restrictions. The artichokes are blooming, and the purple is vibrant.

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    1. I hope you get some rain and relief from the heat soon, Stephenie. Meg Xx

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  9. Meg I think I used to have a red salvia growing a while back. Not sure what happened to it. Yours are very pretty. I have a few jonquils flowering at present, pink and red camellia bushes and a few other bits and pieces. The bulbs are coming up everywhere too.

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    1. Your garden sounds very pretty, Chel. Camellias are so lovely but I've never successfully grown one here. Meg🌹

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  10. I am loving my pineapple sage - it is an autumn flowering plant, bright red, and has kept many of its flowers until now when they are just finishing in the middle of winter. Salvias are a joy, aren't they, and yours is gorgeous.

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    1. I have pineapple sage too, Jo. I love its fruity salad scent! Meg☺

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  11. I should get some salvia, because I think hummingbirds like it. Yours looks very healthy and pretty. Andrea

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    1. We have little birds that visit our garden here, Andrea, and they bend this salvia's "canes" right over when they are feeding from the flowers. Salvia is also very popular with bees. Meg:)

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