These extraordinary Sabal minors originated from coastal NC near Emerald Isle, where they were rescued from a construction site by NC palm enthusiast Alan Brunner. They were subsequently planted in many of the Raleigh area city parks. Sabal minor 'Emerald Island Giant' is radically different in growth habit and size than most other forms. Although these Sabal minors are much slower-growing, producing only one to two leaves per year, they will eventually reach 7' tall x 10' wide with huge 5' or wider leaves. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Sabal louisiana) This unusual Gulf Coast native is found only in a few swampy areas of Louisiana and east Texas, where it grows among typical Sabal minor. Taxonomists often dismiss it as a variant of Sabal minor, but the 6' tall trunk seems to say otherwise. If you don't agree, perhaps you'll change your mind after a few whacks with those aforementioned 6' tall trunks. Perhaps we are seeing speciation in progress or perhaps a relictual natural hybrid as in Sabal x brazoriensis. Sabal minor var. louisiana will reach 12' tall when mature and resembles Sabal palmetto in form, although it's a good bit more winter hardy. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Sabal x brazoriensis is a rare palm from Brazoria County, Texas, has been identified by DNA in 2011 as an ancient hybrid between Sabal palmetto (above ground trunk) and Sabal minor (below ground trunk). Sabal 'Brazoria' is the hardiest of the trunked sabal palms, and should reach 20' tall with maturity. We have reports from Arkansas that these have sailed through a -15F winter. The giant, green, fan-shaped leaves are typical sabal foliage, but the growth rate in our trials has been twice that of Sabal minor. Our offerings are two to three-year-old seedlings. Because of the confusion with the name, Sabal x texensis, which is an old name for the less hardy Sabal mexicana, a new name of Sabal x brazoriensis was published for this plant in 2011. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We have long treasured this threatened species of swamp pink gentian in our garden. Although Sabatia dodecandra naturally resides primarily in coastal savannahs, it has made itself quite at home in our garden. The small basal rosette of light green leaves grows insignificantly to 2" tall x 6" wide. From mid-June through July (NC), the fun begins as the flowering stalk expands upward to 2' tall, branching along the way. In late spring and early summer, the clumps are topped with awesome 2" pink daisies. Sabatia dodecandra grows best in a seasonally moist bog or a rather damp spot in the garden...you'll fall in love all over again! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From the garden of plant collector, Jim Waddick, comes the hardiest and most spectacular of the sugar canes...little-known in the US except by our customers, who all rave about it (some on general principle). Saccharum arundinaceum has long, grey-green leaves with a white midrib. This giant clumper (great for hiding obtrusive neighbors or rusty cars) makes a spectacular sight at 10' tall x 10' wide. In early to mid-October, the clumps are topped with purplish-pink, narrow, pampas-like plumes that extend another 2-3' above the foliage. Because of the late flowering season, seedlings are not a problem from Zone 7b north. South of Zone 7b, watch carefully for seedlings...truly a must for grass lovers! Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
This hybrid from South Carolina garden designer, Frances Parker, is a cross between Salvia leucantha 'Midnight' x Salvia 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). Salvia '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...a hummingbird favorite. As you can imagine, the floral effect is...dark purple. You will love this superb salvia! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Salvia 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. Salvia azurea is at home in dreadfully hot, dry sites as well as nestled in the midst of the perennial border. Salvia '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 the late Nebraskan nurseryman, Harlan Hamernik said, "If it'll grow in Nebraska, it'll grow anywhere." Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We picked up this Salvia greggii hybrid in California under the incorrect name of Salvia macellaria. It turned out to be a splendid Salvia greggii hybrid (probably Salvia x jamensis) that forms a 3' tall x 4' wide, woody-stemmed, deer-resistant, hummingbird acclaimed clump, topped in spring and again in fall with a superb show of flower spikes of an unusual peachy-orange (RHS 31B) that just top the foliage. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From Mexico comes this small, drought-tolerant, grey-leaved salvia, forming a nice mass to 12" tall x 18" wide. The upright branches of Salvia chamaedryoides 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. Salvia chamaedryoides is truly one of our favorite plants we would not garden without. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
The easy-to-grow Salvia clinopodioides has looked quite nice in our trials since 2009, forming a 3' tall x 3' wide tuberous clump of upright stalks clothed in felty green leaves. Starting in mid-September and continuing until frost (NC), Salvia clinopodioides is topped with thick stalks of dark cobalt blue flowers...truly unique. Salvia clinopodioides first entered the US from Mexico under the assumed identity of Salvia sp.1...imagine that! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From California's Suncrest Nursery comes an interesting and easy-to-grow, deer-resistant Salvia microphylla x greggii hybrid, Salvia 'Dancing Dolls'. The 18" tall x 4' wide bush of woody stems is clothed in small, green, fragrant foliage and adorned from late April until frost with lovely light pink flowers, highlighted by a dark pink upper lip and nestled in black calyces against black flowering stems...mighty fine and a hummingbird treat! As with most woody salvias, good soil drainage is essential. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Salvia 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, Salvia 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. We understand that his has been winter hardy at the Denver Botanic Garden, so we've obviously underestimated its hardiness when kept dry in the winter. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Salvia disjuncta is a little-known sage, first distributed in 1993 by California's Strybing Arboretum, having 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 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, tubular, carmine-red flowers. In mild climates, flowering continues through the winter or until a hard freeze. Our plants of Salvia disjuncta have survived 6 degrees F unmulched, a far cry from the cold tolerances reported from California growers. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From Holland's Piet Oudolf, comes this new selection of Salvia verticillata that has shown amazing vigor in our trials. Salvia 'Endless Love', which arose as a seedling from Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain', forms a 2' tall x 3' wide rosette of stems, each clothed in 5" long, fuzzy, hastate green leaves and topped, starting in mid-June (NC) with 9" long, upright, branched spikes of light lavender flowers...a hummingbird delight. In growth, it is much more robust than Salvia 'Purple Rain' with a longer flowering period. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From one of Holland's premier plantsmen, Piet Oudolf, comes this stunning 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, starting in early April (NC), with up to two dozen 20" tall flowering stems of small lavender-pink (RHS 68D) flowers...a hummingbird celebration. For us, flowering continues through June. Salvia 'Eveline' grows best in an open location with good air movement. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
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...attractive to hummingbirds. Obviously heat- and drought-tolerant, this native wildflower has been a real standout in our trials. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From Greg Grant's infamous cemetery wanderings comes another clone of Salvia farinacea, this one from the Texas gravesite of Henry Duelberg. 'Henry' is a bit taller than his better half (Salvia farinacea 'Augusta Duelberg'), making a 2' tall x 3' wide clump of glossy, green foliage, topped with long 1' spikes of dark royal purple-blue...a hangout for hummingbirds. This phenomenally heat- and drought-tolerant selection is for the full-sun gardener who kills everything else. Soggy soils are about the only thing that will send these to meet their namesakes. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Salvia nipponica v. glabrescens) Salvia 'Momobana' is a pink-flowered selection of the little-known hairless perennial Japanese sage, which hails from the steep mountainous forests of Central Honshu. The small 18" tall x 18" wide clumps of glossy, dark green, arrow-shaped leaves are topped starting in October with lovely spikes of hot pink flowers. While Salvia glabrescens can take an hour or two of morning sun, it needs shade the rest of the day and moist, organic soils are best...very cool! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Salvia nipponica v. glabrescens) Salvia 'Shi Ho' is a dark purple-flowered form of the Japanese woodland sage, Salvia glabrescens. For us, Salvia glabrescens makes an 18" tall x 18" wide clump of dark green hastate leaves topped, starting in October, with short spikes of dark purple flowers...a great way to add color to the early fall woodland garden. As best we can figure, Shi Ho probably means something like "working lady of the evening." Moist, rich soils are best. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Salvia 'Big Pink' is a very nice, large-flowered pink form of Salvia greggii collected by Pat McNeal near Saltillo, Mexico. The rigidly upright form and very shiny deer-resistant foliage make this a great plant, even for the small garden. From May through July, and again from September through November, the 3' wide Salvia 'Big Pink' is topped with a stunning array of large, violet-pink flowers (RHS 57C). The flowers are further accented by the unique, dark maroon calyces that surround them...attractive to hummingbirds. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
.jpg "Sabal minor var. louisiana (Louisiana Palmetto Palm)")
.jpg "Salvia darcyi (Darcy's Mexican Sage)")
