Salvias

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Charithea

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #45 on: September 09, 2018, 04:52:52 PM »
How lovely to be able to choose your Salvias and not settle for what is brought into the country.  What did the two of you buy?  I am posting a photo of the Salvia 'Love and Wishes' that belongs to my cousin and fellow gardener.  I gave her a cutting as soon as we got back in Cyprus to ensure its survival. She keeps it in a shaded area. Now I know i will be able to take more cuttings when the cooler weather comes along and the salvia puts out new branches.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

David Dickinson

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #46 on: September 09, 2018, 11:38:01 PM »
Hi Charithea.

Not sure I merit the "knowledgeable" compliment from Umbrian but compliments are always worth having :-). The event in Lucca is a long train journey from Rome and knowing that L'essenze di Lea http://leessenzedilea.com/ will be present in Rome at https://www.laconservadellaneve.it/en/, I resisted all temptation to buy Salvias and concentrated on Sedums instead. But I did take the opportunity to look at what was on offer Salvia-wise and saw Salvia pinnata. http://www.robinssalvias.com/index.html has photos of an amazing selection of Salvias for anyone who has a moment to visit the site.

I was attracted by the foliage of S pinnata and the fact that the ones I saw were somewhat prostrate, reaching out over the edge of the pots they were in. So, it will be mine in the very near future! I am looking for an off-white Salvia too.  Salvia x Jamensis  cv. ‘La luna’ or will it be too yellow?

Depending on just how much I can resist I may be coming home with the following too. Must decide tonight as I will need to order in the next couple of days.

Salvia x Jamensis  cv. ‘La luna’ , Salvia semiatrata, Salvia pinnata, Salvia nana, Salvia ‘Phyllis' Fancy’ and Salvia Dorii
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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Charithea

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #47 on: September 10, 2018, 10:26:16 AM »
David I am sure the complements were earned. I like all your choices but my favourite and most suitable for Cyprus would be Salvia dorrii.  Salvias do not do well here in pots.  We found they have to be watered twice a day and they still suffer. We have managed to transfer ours into the ground except 3.  I will put them in the ground once I get cuttings and I have seeds for insurance.  I am posting the photo below because you send me some seeds last year. One lot was Salvia namaensis which is growing and flowering even now and the other it was Salvia semiatrata.   Am i correct or have I mixed up the label?
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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Charithea

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #48 on: September 10, 2018, 12:01:18 PM »
David I have been reading the info about Salvias on the robinssalvias and i think I must have mixed  up the labels as it shows it to be Salvia  argentea.  Do you agree? Any one else ?
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

David Dickinson

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #49 on: September 10, 2018, 06:01:22 PM »
Hi Charithea

Certainly neither S namaensis nor semiatrata. Could well be S argentea. S namaensis has the tiniest little, crinkly, green leaves. I got a few seeds of S semiatrata to germinate but the last of them died a few weeks ago. But the rosette you show doesn't look like the photos I have seen of  S semiatrata. I am contemplating buying an established plant of S semiatrata this weekend because I was only partially successful with the seeds.

I wrote earlier on this thread about killing off my S clevelandii by watering it in summer. This year I have a second plant and I have left it in a pot . I moved it out of the torrential rains we had just recently so it has had zero water since the late spring. Still looks okay. Now I am panic stricken about starting to re-water it. I will let the weather cool a little more first I think. But it could be a plant for you to consider for your long dry summers. The scent from the leaves is amazing. They say that the native Americans say of the plant "First you smell it, then you see it". It is absolutely true. The plant I had last year,  a mere cutting that had grown a little over the winter, filled my small garden with perfume. Light and fresh, though. I don't think I will ever be without one again. Don't judge the plant on the photo of my cutting. Have a look at the real thing on the internet.
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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Charithea

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #50 on: September 11, 2018, 10:07:52 AM »
Thank you David for the reply. I would like to apologise for my badly constructed sentence which led to the confusion.  I do have Salvia namaensis see photos below  but I was trying to find out the name of the other one which obviously had the wrong label.  It had been in a small plastic container for at least 6 months, labelled wrongly, before I put it in the ground and then it started to grow.  It seems a tough plant.  I did germinate Salvia clevelandii but did the same as you . I over watered it and killed all the seedling in the spring.  I will start again this autumn. The Salvia nam... and the seedling are the same age but I think the soil is better in that patch hence the growth.  I shall transfer them when the cool weather comes along to a more suitable position.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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Charithea

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #51 on: September 15, 2018, 01:17:12 PM »
Our photographer friend Michalis has just send me two photos of  our Salvia mexicana Limelight and I thought of sharing them with you.  I grew the salvia from seed  the end of march. I was not hopeful because the seeds arrived late for 'our salvia growing  season'. There were few and very small compared to all the others and yet this was the only ONE to survive  the hot conditions from 18 different packets of seeds. 
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

Umbrian

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #52 on: September 19, 2018, 07:27:21 AM »
After seeing John's post featuring Salvias this morning I decided to re photograph
" Love and Wishes". Although needing winter protection it really is well worth caring for.
This year my original plant, given to me by a visiting friend from the UK two years ago,  has more than trebled in size and been in constant flower since May. It does appreciate some shade and so I keep it in a large pot close to the door where I can admire its flowers both from inside and outside the house.
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

David Dickinson

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #53 on: September 21, 2018, 12:27:15 AM »
There is much talk of generosity on the forum at the moment and the whole forum is really made up of it in so many different forms. Those who share their knowledge of beautiful plants and their success/failures rates. Others who inspire us to try new plants by share their photos with us. The moderators who not only contribute directly but are working away behind the scenes keeping it all running smoothly. The plant identifiers. There are those who share their plants where possible through seeds and cuttings and Chantal does this on an international scale through her tireless work on the seedbank. We all owe a big "thank you" to each other.

Which brings me to my posting of Salvia coccinea 'Brenthurst' raised from seed given to me by John and Charithea. It was hard to get photos in focus until I put a large piece of card behind it. As you can see from the splashes on the card, it started to rain just at that moment. Thanks John and Charithea - a beautiful plant :-)
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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Charithea

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #54 on: September 23, 2018, 02:07:27 PM »
I had promised to post photos of Salvia splendens 'Martinus Borg' and Salvia guaranitica 'Costa Rican Blue'  a while ago.  John has put up some snap shots before but not named them. The  Martinus Borg has not as yet lived up to expectations.  The colour is amazing but not many blooms. I am hopeful though and intend to take cuttings and grow them on in the autumn.  On the other hand the 'Costa Rican Blue' the first of the guaraniticas to bloom is daily spreading out.  My Ipad photo does not do justice to the colour but I wanted to show the difference in the size of blooms compared to the other Salvias.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2018, 05:04:20 PM by Charithea »
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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John J

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #55 on: September 28, 2018, 01:40:29 PM »
A few salvias from this morning.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Umbrian

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #56 on: October 14, 2018, 07:49:23 AM »
Salvia elegans providing a welcome late splash of colour as the days shorten and temperatures begin to drop. Always a favourite with its wonderful pineapple smelling leaves.
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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Charithea

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #57 on: October 14, 2018, 04:51:02 PM »
Your Salvia elegans/i] looks lovely. Our is also in flower but  it is rather untidy because I planted it first in too much sun and then moved it to too much shade and it has been searching for the light. It is taller than John. After seeing your photo I went and took cuttings to try in a different position.
« Last Edit: October 31, 2018, 01:35:56 PM by Charithea »
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

Umbrian

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #58 on: October 15, 2018, 07:16:20 AM »
I too misjudged the planting position when including this Salvia in my new garden.  A more sheltered garden than our original one in Italy and with much better soil meant it grew at an alarming rate and I had placed it far too close to a path. This year I thinned it considerably when growth started and have been pleased with the result.
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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Fermi

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Re: Salvias
« Reply #59 on: October 15, 2018, 03:27:44 PM »
This is Salvia canariensis f candidissima which we got a couple of years ago from Lambley Nursery.
It was much smaller in the pot and I wa surprised when it suddenly "took off" on being planted (quite inappropriately it seems now) in a rock garden!!!
cheers
fermi
Mr F de Sousa, Central Victoria, Australia
member of AGS, SRGC, NARGS
working as a physio to support my gardening habit!