Recent Posts
Home >Unlabelled > Banner - The Mountain Gardener Salvia genus offers hundreds of options on Astini News
Banner - The Mountain Gardener Salvia genus offers hundreds of options on Astini News
Posted on Friday, September 2, 2011 by astini
by Jan Nelson Press Banner
If salvias have any say in the matter, there will be lots of tomorrows. This large genus of plants in the mint family contains about 900 species, excluding hybrids and cultivars. Salvias are native to Europe, Africa, Asia, Mediterranean, and Central and South America, including our southwest. The name "salvia" is from the Latin word salvere (to save) referring to the long-held belief in the herb's healing properties.
There's a salvia of every color and purpose for the garden. Recently, I enjoyed touring the salvia garden at Cabrillo College and also revisited my friend, the "Hillbilly Gardener," and his collection of salvias in Scotts Valley. I was joined by dozens of hummingbirds and even more happy bees. The showy display of flowers, ranging from blue to red, apricot, soft yellow, purple, pink and even white, was breathtaking.
Ernie Wasson, the nursery and garden curator with the Ornamental Horticulture Department at Cabrillo, explained that they grow 150 types at the college, all of them propagated there. Three years ago, he hosted a salvia summit, which attracted many visitors from as far away as Kew Gardens in England, Australia and New Zealand.
Many salvias have hairs growing on the leaves, stems and flowers, which help reduce water loss. Sometimes, the hairs secrete volatile oils that give a distinct aroma to the plants. This often results in the plants being unattractive to grazing animals and some insects. Other species are tolerant of wet feet and grow in boggy conditions.
Some of the standout varieties at the Cabrillo garden included big Mexican scarlet sage (Salvia gesneriiflora "Tequila"). Blooming with huge red, tubular flowers in the shade, we sampled the sweet nectar again and again. Two sages that smelled like Vicks were Salvia somalensis from Somalia and African blue sage. The bees liked one called Mystic Spires Blue best, while we loved the fragrant leaves of Tutti Frutti sage (Salvia dorisiana) from Honduras. Salvia cinnabarina smelled like, well, you can guess: cinnamon. The truest blue plant in the world, the Gentian sage (Salvia patens) was a showstopper. It spreads slowly from tuberous roots.
Have a wet spot? Try bog salvia (Salvia uliginosa). Want a smaller variety that lasts for along a time? Try a microphylla type, like Hot Lips.
Salvia greggii varieties, although stunning, do not survive as long in the garden. I learned that the famous Hot Lips salvia was brought back from Oaxaca, Mexico, from cuttings by Dick Turner of Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco. The original plant was bought by a maid for a housewarming gift. If you've ever wondered why the flowers of this plant are sometimes bicolor and other times mostly red, it has to do with the season. When the nights are warm in summer, the new flowers are all red, with an occasional solid white one. As fall approaches, the flowers again will be bicolored red and white.
Another showy variety growing both at Cabrillo and at my salvia aficionado's garden in Scotts Valley was Red Velvet sage (Salvia confertiflora). This spectacular late-blooming sage from Brazil grows 5 to 8 feet tall with large, foot-long flower stalks that work well in flower arrangements, both as a fresh-cut flower and dried. It will grow in light shade under redwoods. Salvia chiapensis blooms from spring to fall in this Scotts Valley garden. Another long-blooming favorite is Phyllis' Fancy, which has just begun to flower but will continue 'til frost. This lovely sage with lush-looking foliage grows 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide and fits into most gardens.
I saw more than 20 varieties of salvia in this Scotts Valley garden, but I'm sure there are many more tucked away that weren't blooming. From the brilliant red of Holway's sage to the soft magenta of Louis Saso salvia to the compact Dara's Choice, this garden has a salvia for every spot and a spot for every salvia.
Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at janis001@aol.com, or visit www.jannelsonlandscapedesign.com to view past columns and pictures.
Blog Archive
-
▼
2011
(2934)
-
▼
September
(682)
- This familyâs favourite kitchen tool is a comput...
- News - The Neshoba Democrat on Astini News
- News: Mozambique proposes law to axe VAT on animal...
- Try Thanksgiving in Belize, Says The Lodge at Chaa...
- The Origin Of The Word 'Epilepsy' : NPR on Astini ...
- Arizona to host GOP presidential debate in Decembe...
- Schizophrenia - Pipeline Review, H2 2011 on Astini...
- Nicolas Cage on 'The Expendables 2' and 'Ghost Rid...
- Who deserves 2011 PGA Tour Player of the Year hono...
- Lille midfielder Joe Cole targets England recall o...
- What is Sonic the Hedgehog Without a Sega Console?...
- Salespeople at three Bob's Discount Furniture stor...
- on Astini News
- Stocks ending gloomy 3rd quarter on a weak note - ...
- BLABBERMOUTH.NET on Astini News
- Does it work? Can maca increase sexual appetite? -...
- Giants trying to avoid 'trap' vs. Cardinals on Ast...
- Sharpshooting Fairfield detective places 11th on H...
- Obama's race problem is black and white -- and gre...
- Premier League football news from the Barclays Pre...
- HBO Marketing Chief Courteney Monroe to Step Down ...
- 750 pieces of John Wayne's life on the block - Loc...
- Present-Day Republican Rage Pre-Dates the Tea Part...
- Frances Bean Cobain | Frances Bean Cobain Turns To...
- OS X Lion / Snow Leopard Now Required to play 'Cit...
- Nassau County detective quitting over allegation s...
- Daniel Radcliffe A 'Star Wars' Virgin - Entertainm...
- Google Fights German Lawsuit Over âSex-Club Bill...
- New ACDSee Photo Editing and Management Products D...
- ROM â @nickmcminn60 MIUI SS-8 âLG 2X Editionâ...
- George Clooney Defends Ex Elisabetta Canalis From ...
- IRONCLAD (2011) on Astini News
- Actors Who Should Win And Who Will Win (PHOTOS) on...
- Young Canadians are creating a better world on Ast...
- Nine Named Semifinalists For 2012 Kentucky Teacher...
- Be Trafalgarâs guest by watching Better Homes & ...
- Grocery stores expanding generic brands on Astini ...
- Summer over, Cape road work abounds on Astini News
- Charles Manson and Me: A Memoir on Astini News
- Your Kidâs Brain, SpongeBob-ed | NewAmerica.net ...
- Extreme Weather Leads To Spike In Sales on Astini ...
- Australia ruling in Apple vs Samsung case expected...
- Titan Medical Inc. Announces Memorandum of Underst...
- DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri) on Astini...
- A gluten-free for all drives product sales | Reute...
- Space Shuttle Enterprise Unveiled 35 Years Ago to ...
- Prime Limousine, Audi sign deal on 100 Audis for E...
- South Africa ponders issuing visa for Dalai Lama o...
- 'We the People' captures American spirit | MyCentr...
- on Astini News
- Neil Youngâs book deal sparks hunt for Canadian ...
- The Sweet Smell of Easier Weight Loss? on Astini News
- Living | Angry Birds game may top holiday toy sale...
- SEC probes RBS,Credit Suisse over bad mortgage loa...
- Top 100 ALA Banned Books: Harry Potter | The Back ...
- I-Team 10 investigation: Pizzeria employee accused...
- US scientists testing earthquake early warning - T...
- Holy Land 9/3/11 - Celebrity Review by tigershark1...
- J. Cole on His Albumâs Eleventh-Hour Jay-Z Verse...
- Bowling for a Cause - Yahoo! Finance on Astini News
- Car Charging Group to Provide EV Charging Services...
- PR-USA.net on Astini News
- Arkham City Xbox 360 Bundle Shows Up on German Ama...
- Braylon Edwards has knee procedure, out a while - ...
- Tea Party Group to Form Super PAC on Astini News
- New Jersey Mining Company Intersects 5.07 g/t Gold...
- 'Your Highness' is supposed to be stupid; it succe...
- Analyzing The Price-To-Cash-Flow Ratio - Yahoo! Fi...
- : Movies :: News :: Paste on Astini News
- ASIC to review broker capital rules: report | News...
- Portuguese Man o' War threat underestimated by swi...
- UK professor 'reconstructs' lost Beethoven piece |...
- Award-winning producer Jon Blair joins Aljazeera o...
- Diablo 3 Community Site Offers Peak at Game's Trea...
- Valencia vs. Chelsea: Champions League Match Will ...
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy would have been so mu...
- Anna Faris answers film question "What's Your Numb...
- Guild Wars 2 Closed Beta Still Coming This Year --...
- Listen To The Weeknd Remix Of Florence + The Machi...
- Blackberry Mom: Shel Silverstein truly inspiring o...
- Deal watch: Norwegian Cruise Line launches another...
- AQM Announces the Discovery of the New Victoria Po...
- Ludacris, Bay City Rollers hit town in November on...
- Kim Kardashian leaves wedding ring home - Entertai...
- Voting important for youth - EEC on Astini News
- Buy Dish TV; target price raised, stock is getting...
- Weather Underground Launches Its New Weather API P...
- A victory for common sense on Astini News
- The top Typing Games Every Kid Have to Have! â E...
- Game: "Martians Vs. Goblins" F. Tyler The Creator ...
- Column: With Bielema playing ârespectâ card, N...
- East Valley Tribune - Arizona Local News on Astini...
- Pan-Seared Chicken with Chicory, Bacon & Figs on A...
- Tax filing relief to those hurt by Hurricane Irene...
- DTS and Huawei Showcase Superior Audio Technologie...
- 'Paradise Lost' director Joe Berlinger sought just...
- Samsung Mobile Announces New Expansion of Galaxy F...
- 'Revolutionary,' Controversial Idea : NPR on Astin...
- J. Cole Is a Storyteller in 'Daddy's Little Girl' ...
- IIS 7.0 Detailed Error - 503.4 on Astini News
-
▼
September
(682)