Friday, May 11, 2018

Hardy Perennial Salvias

Always on the lookout for blue flowers, I fell in love with Blue Bedder Sage years ago. But it is only one of the seemingly zillion varieties of wonderful plants in the Hardy Perennial Salvia family. East Friesland Salvia is a must have and is gloriously blue purple early in Spring.
 GardeningEast Friesland Salvia - A favorite for its long bloom season, East Friesland salvia is a mound-shape plant with spikes of violet-purple flowers in summer and fall. It attracts a lot of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the garden.  Just now starting to bloom are several Blue Bedders that I relocated from my downtown garden. Lucky for me that they are considered a perennial in my zone 7b.

Culinary sages are part of the same group and I love those too, with or without blue flowers. For this new garden I have collected six of the herb varieties. Purple, garden, tricolor variegated, golden, pineapple and Russian. And I just discovered a sage that smells and tastes like cucumber! I didn't buy one...yet.
Pineapple Sage Salvia elegans Item #40026 USDA Hardiness Zone: 8 - 10  A fragrant, perennial herb for garden or patio with showy scarlet-red flowers in late summer. The blooms contrast nicely against bright, pineapple-scented yellow green foliage. Crushed leaves have the aroma and taste of pineapple, used to make tea, potpourri, jams and jellies.
 Pineapple sage gets huge in one season and attracts hummingbirds with its scarlet flowers.



 Golden Sage has bicolored leaves, and I hope to keep it going until it blooms, to see if it does, and what color they may be. 
Pbs - Perovskia Blue Spire - Russian Sage
And finally, Russian Blue sage. Haven't had this one before but have enjoyed seeing them in full bloom in other gardens. I showed Dave all these plants and boasted about how huge they grow. He responded that they are planted awfully close together here, which is true, but that's because they will be moved to the veggie beds, when they get made, soon. Nick the landscaper said the wood chips and dumpster will be delivered on Monday, which makes way for building phase two of the garden. 
 Other new plants are Beth's Blue Starflower, Larentia axillaris.
And this little cutie, Browallia. I am hoping this isn't too sunny a spot for these six. I may have to move them to a shadier section of the garden. Behind them are the tiny new East Friesland and in the cubbies in front, blue Lobelia. Lots of pretty blues to come.
 
Speaking of cubbies, I decided it's not too late for lettuces despite predictions of 90 degrees this weekend. Buttercrunch, green leaf and Romaine are filling these, and I will find a red leaved variety when I venture out today. Last year my neighbor bought a planter with three or four heads and shared the bounty with me and we both had more than enough salad for several months.

4 comments:

  1. Look for Salvia Amistad. Amazing plant. Beautiful and beloved by hummingbirds.

    http://www.phoenixperennials.com/images/plants_large/9109.jpg

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  2. Ahhh the Perovskia (Russian blue sage) is soooo lovely till late in autumn !
    It get woody stems so you have to cut it down in one or two years ...
    (I even get some seedlings, though you can't easily place them somewhere else !)
    Love all your colours !
    It will be a nice green wall soon !!! ;-)

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  3. Your garden is going to be incredible! Can't wait to see pix later in the season.
    Where I live, Russian Sage grows fast and large, attracts bees like crazy and is somewhat invasive.

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  4. If you have enough lettuce plants, all you need to do is remove one or two leaves from each and you'll have more than enough greens for you and the hubby. There is nothing like fresh salad. I grew a bit one year and was surprised that lettuce had a TASTE! The stuff from the grocery store is basically water. If I ever get my raised beds built in the front I'll have plenty of lettuce as well as tomatoes, onions and even cantaloupe. I want to put in bee and hummingbird friendly flowers amongst the vegetables too. That area gets a lot of sun so I might even try corn. Some of the neighbors have done it.

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