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Salvia (Sage)
What a great bunch of plants! Thanks to the efforts of NC's Richard Dufresne and many others, salvias have taken a remarkable turn for the better. We will bring you the latest and the best of new perennial salvias, many from the southwest US and mountain regions of Mexico. If you think of salvias as little red things in your annual beds...think again. Salvias as a group prefer full bright sun and well-drained soils. On many of the marginally hardy salvias, we recommend they not be cut back until early spring, since water will fill cut branches and freeze during the winter.
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Salvia 'Anthony Parker' (Anthony Parker Sage)
Sun Zone: 8-10, guessing 36" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
This hybrid from South Carolina garden designer Frances Parker is a cross between S. leucantha 'Midnight' x S. elegans (Pineapple sage). Frances rescued the young seedling from her lawn just ahead of the mower and named it for her young grandson, Anthony, who was 1 year old at the time (1994). S. 'Anthony Parker' makes a compact, 3' tall x 8' wide clump that is covered, from late September until frost, with 1' long, terminal, dark purple flower spikes. The purple spikes are adorned with dark purple calyxes as well as dark blue-purple (RHS 89A) flowers. As you can image, the floral effect is...dark purple. You will love this superb new salvia! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03473
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Salvia azurea 'Nekan' (Pitcher Sage)
SunZone: 4-8 36" tall Origin: USA
(syn: S. pitcheri) Salvia azurea ssp. pitcheri is a tough garden-worthy US native with upright stems clothed with linear grey-green foliage. From July through September, the stems are topped with lovely, pure blue flowers. S. azurea is at home in dreadfully hot, dry sites, as well as nestled in the midst of the perennial border. S. 'Nekan' (Nebraska-Kansas) is a seed strain named for a selected population found north of Lincoln, Nebraska. For us, this has proven to be a great improvement on the species with its more sturdy upright constitution and larger flowers. As Nebraskan nurseryman Harlan Hamernik says, "If it'll grow in Nebraska, it'll grow anywhere." Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03361
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Salvia 'Balsalmisp' PP 18,054 (Mystic Spires Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10 24" tall Origin: Hybrid
(aka: S. 'Mystic Spires') Salvia 'Balsalmisp' is a great new creation from the folks at Ball Seed. Unfortunately, it is also another disgraceful example of incorrect/double naming from a company that should have respect for proper nomenclature. Salvia 'Balsalmisp' started its life in 2003 as a radiation-induced mutation on the popular S. 'Indigo Spires'. S. 'Balsalmisp' has much shorter internodes, making it a more compact plant than its parent. Narrow flower spikes of violet-blue top the 2' tall clump from June until fall. Good winter drainage, combined with not cutting the stems back until spring, help with overwintering in the northern end of its range.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08348
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Salvia 'Blue Chiquita' (Blue Chiquita Sage)
SunZone: 8-9, at least 44" tall Origin: Mexico
Open House/Web-Only!
(S. sp. 72-90) We are constantly on the lookout for new, distinctive, garden-worthy sages, and with Salvia 'Blue Chiquita', we have a gem. This late-season ornamental sage (probably S. longispicata) was discovered by Yucca Do on an expedition in 1997. The heavily quilted, dark green leaves, each backed with silvery white, form a 2' tall x 3' wide, compact mound of foliage. From late September until frost, the clumps are topped with rigid 20" spires of blue flowers (RHS 89C). For those gardening in the later frosting zones, or those growing large containers in the arctic, S. 'Blue Chiquita' is a real winner! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04253
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Salvia 'California Sunset' (California Sunset Sage)
SunZone: 7b-9, at least 36" tall Origin: Hybrid
We picked up this Salvia greggii hybrid in California under the incorrect name of S. macellaria. It turned out to be a splendid S. greggii hybrid (probably S. x jamensis) that forms a 3' tall x 4' wide, woody-stemmed clump, topped in spring and again in fall with a superb show of flower spikes of an unusual peachy-orange (RHS 31B) that just tops the foliage. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05952
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Salvia chamaedryoides (Blue Oak Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10 12" tall Origin: Mexico
From Mexico comes this small, drought-tolerant, grey-leaved salvia, forming a nice mass to 12" tall x 18" wide. The upright branches are topped with true sky-blue flowers (really, really BLUE) from early summer through early fall. Blue oak sage prefers a very well-drained site in the border or rock garden. This is truly one of our favorite plants we would not garden without. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00688
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Salvia darcyi (Mexican Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10 48" tall Origin: Mexico
Open House/Web-Only!
(syn: S. oresbia) This species from Mexico was renamed and officially published by England's James Compton in a 1994 issue of "Kew." It was originally discovered in Galeana, Mexico, by Yucca Do Nursery collectors who, unfortunately, received no credit in "Kew". When given plenty of room and bright light, S. darcyi makes a huge, 4' tall x 7' wide clump of heart-shaped, light green leaves. Throughout the summer, the clump is topped by spikes of bright orange-red flowers (RHS 43A), but in the fall the floral show is nothing short of spectacular. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00814
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Salvia disjuncta (Misplaced Sage)
SunZone: 7b-10 72" tall Origin: Mexico
NEW!
Salvia disjuncta is a little-known sage, first distributed in 1993 by California's Strybing Arboretum, which collected it from the southern Mexican mountains in the late 1980s. The mahogany-brown stems stretch to 6' tall and are covered in tiny white hairs...as are probably the folks who originally collected the salvia. The stalks are adorned with fragrant, fuzzy heart-shaped leaves and topped starting in late October, with intense carmine-red tubular flowers. In mild climates, flowering continues through the winter or until a hard freeze. Our plants have survived 6 degrees F unmulched, a far cry from the cold tolerances reported from California growers. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08469
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Salvia engelmannii (Engelmann's Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-8, at least 12" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
Salvia engelmannii is another of those wonderful salvias that is strangely missing from the mainstream nursery trade. S. engelmannii hails from only 17 counties in Texas...the equivalent of three normal US states, and forms an attractive deciduous clump of light green leaves 1' tall x 1' wide. The clump is topped in June with short spikes of light blue-lavender flowers. We have found this to be a superb rock garden plant and although we have found S. engelmannii easy to grow, good drainage is very important. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01737
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Salvia 'Eveline' PP 14,905 (Eveline Sage)
SunZone: 5-8, at least 20" tall Origin: Hybrid
Open House/Web-Only!
From one of Holland's premier plantsman Piet Oudolf comes this new Salvia pratensis hybrid, a sister seedling to Salvia 'Pink Delight'. The deciduous clump emerges in early spring with basal light green hastate leaves, which are topped by early April (NC) with up to two dozen flowering 20" tall stems of small lavender-pink (RHS 68D) flowers. For us, flowering continues through June. An open location with good air movement grows the best plants. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08030
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Salvia farinacea 'Augusta Duelberg' (Mealy Cup Sage)
SunZone: 7b-9, at least 30" tall Origin: USA
Leave it to Texan Greg Grant to have nothing better to do on a summer day than wander through old graveyards, where he stumbled on a clump of Salvia farinacea gracing the Texas gravesite of Augusta Duelberg. The cuttings rooted and Salvia 'Augusta Duelberg' was born. This splendid selection of the Texas native Salvia farinacea makes a compact 30" tall x 4' wide specimen, topped from May until frost with hundreds of spikes of silvery-white flowers. Obviously heat- and drought-tolerant, this salvia has been a real standout in our trials. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06823
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Salvia greggii 'Dark Dancer' (Dark Dancer Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10 48" tall Origin: USA
This is a Rich Dufresne selection of a seedling from California's Mike Nevin Smith. The 3-4' wide clumper is clothed with narrow green foliage and is topped with large, raspberry-colored flowers. The flowering show is heavy in spring and fall and sporadic through the warm muggy days of summer...truly SUPERB! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02636
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Salvia greggii 'Diane' (Diane Texas Sage)
SunZone: 7-9, at least 18" tall Origin: USA, Mexico
Open House/Web-Only!
We picked up this delightful new color in Salvia greggii from plant guru Chip Shoemaker in Texas. The small mound of woody stems is clothed with narrow green foliage. In late spring and again in the fall, the 3-4' wide clumps are topped with small purple flowers. In some climates with less baking summers, you will also see some summer flowering. If you've been looking for a color break, this is your plant. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05082
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Salvia greggii 'Flame' (Flame Texas Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10, possibly colder 30" tall Origin: USA, Mexico
Open House/Web-Only!
This new selection of Salvia greggii makes a 30" tall x 3' wide, woody-stemmed clump. The small, dark green leaves adorn the stems that are topped from July until frost with short, dark purple spikes of brilliant red flowers...a real show stopper! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05570
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Salvia greggii 'Lipstick' (Lipstick Texas Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10 36" tall Origin: USA
We are really excited over this color selection of the drought-tolerant Texas sage. S. 'Lipstick' is also one of the longest-flowering Texas sage cultivars we have trialed. In our garden, it begins flowering in early May and continues through November. Each compact 3' tall x 3' wide clump is simply smothered in terminal flower spikes of lipstick-red (RHS 50A) flowers, each highlighted by a white throat and brown calyx. Texas sage makes a great foreground addition to a grouping of ornamental grasses. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03202
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Salvia greggii 'Pink Preference' (Texas Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 6-10 24" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
This selection of the durable Salvia greggii came to us from the late Logan Calhoun. S. 'Pink Preference' has been grown for years throughout central Texas. The 2' tall x 3' wide, woody clump is topped with dark, red-pink (RHS 57A) flowers highlighted by a nearly black floral calyx. For us, the heaviest flowering is during the spring and fall months, although it still puts on a good show during summer. As with all Salvia greggiis, a dry, well-drained site is best. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05042
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Salvia greggii 'Teresa' (Teresa's Texas Sage)
SunZone: 7-9, at least 24" tall Origin: USA
I nearly fell off my chair when I first saw a photo of Salvia 'Teresa'...damn chair. This wild and crazy mutation was discovered by Texan David Steinbrunner and named after his wife, Teresa. The branch sport from a red Salvia greggii has white flowers highlighted by a light purple base just above the calyx as well as purple streaks on the lower lip...very different from any salvia I've ever seen. The 2' tall x 3' wide clump is topped with flowers in early spring, then sporadically through the heat of the summer. In fall, the plant bursts forth again in magnificent floral splendor. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07195
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Salvia greggii 'Texas Wedding' (White Texas Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 5b-10, at least 24" tall Origin: USA
Open House/Web-Only!
This poor plant has been tossed around the country for years without a legitimate cultivar name, so we officially christen it Salvia gregii 'Texas Wedding'. The floral show reminds us of a Texas shotgun wedding where the bride was just blown to smithereens by a jealous ex...I just adore those fun-loving Texans. Salvia greggii 'Texas Wedding' is a very hardy upright sub-shrub to 2' tall x 2' wide. Adorning the woody stems and small, narrow evergreen leaves are masses of white flowers produced continuously from late spring into fall, except for a floral slow-down in the hottest part of midsummer. Well-drained soils are best for all Salvia greggiis. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00889
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Salvia guaranitica 'Argentina Skies' (Argentina Skies Anise Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 6-10 60" tall Origin: Argentina
Open House/Web-Only!
This Charles Cresson selection of S. guaranitica is dramatically different from the normal species. The tall plant is topped, from midsummer until fall, with hundreds of tubular sky-blue flowers (RHS 97A)...not the dark blue, which is more typical. This vigorous selection is also somewhat stoloniferous although it doesn't run far. S. 'Argentina Skies' is an easy-to-grow addition to the cooler parts of the perennial border. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00809
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Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' (Domestic Violence Anise Sage)
Sun to Part SunZone: 7-10 36" tall Origin: Brazil
Open House/Web-Only!
Emerging from dormancy in early spring, the 3' tall clumps are clothed in fuzzy green, spade-shaped leaves. From midsummer through fall, the slowly spreading patches are topped with 1' spikes of narrow, long, snapdragon-like, luscious, deep blue flowers...a hummingbird favorite. This selection of the hardy anise sage differs from the norm in that the calyx (the little cup that holds the open flower) is black instead of the usual green. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02016
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Salvia guaranitica 'Van Remsen' (Van Remsen Anise Sage)
SunZone: 7-10, at least 84" tall Origin: Argentina, Brazil
This amazing hummingbird favorite makes a stunning 7' tall clump that doesn't run. That's right, great height and no running...ranks up there with "tastes great and less filling." The rich green leaves adorn this amazing giant that rockets skyward when grown in rich soil. The green stems are clothed in large 6'' long x 5" wide dark green leaves, then topped, starting in late May, with spikes of cobalt-blue flowers...a stunning garden specimen and favorite of high-flying hummingbirds. S. 'Van Remsen', a probable hybrid of S. guaranitica 'Brazil' x S. guaranitica 'Costa Rica', was discovered in James Van Remsen's Louisiana garden and later named and distributed by salvia guru, Rich Dufresne. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08363
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