Salvia viridis

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John

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Salvia viridis
« on: July 10, 2011, 11:12:05 PM »
In the wild I have mostly seen Salvia viridis (which used to be called Salvia horminum) with tiny bracts at the top of the stem with hardly any colour in them. However on Rhodes with the trip there by the MGS in the spring of 2006 I saw some populations with larger bracts (see 1st picture). Obviously by selection larger bracts were produced and the form usually grown in gardens has large colourful bracts. Now quite an old seed strain the Claryssa Series in blue, pink and white is a valuable annual with quite a long season due to the bracts providing the main impact and not the flowers (see last two pictures).
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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JTh

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2011, 05:02:14 PM »
I have only seen S. viridis here in Halkidiki with very showy and intensely blue-coloured brackts, like the one on the photo here
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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Alisdair

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2011, 06:10:24 PM »
That's a lovely plant, Jorun - and a great photo!
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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John

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2011, 10:50:32 PM »
I have to say that Jorun's form is rather striking. All of those I saw on Crete were pathetic by comparison though that is obviously in horticultural terms!
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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JTh

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2011, 05:55:44 PM »
I'll see if I can find some seeds, they ought to be ripe by now.
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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John

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2011, 08:48:18 AM »
I presume the population with you is quite a uniform colour and habit. Were there any obvious variations?
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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JTh

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2011, 03:41:47 PM »
I can't remember seeing anything but these intensely blue ones here, I would love to have them in the field around our house
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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John

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2011, 09:10:27 AM »
They should be easy enough to establish. They would probably do best in a cosy spot say next to a wall or in the lee of a shrub.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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JTh

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2011, 03:58:52 PM »
I don't think they would need much protection here in Halkidiki, they grow in open areas in the field and alongside the roads. I have collected some seeds now but I am not quite sure if they are the right ones, I'll see if I can find descripription on what the plants look like when they are completely dry and finished
« Last Edit: September 12, 2011, 08:52:33 PM by JTh »
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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fragman

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2011, 06:39:25 PM »
In Israel there are mixed flagged and non-flagged plants in the same population. It is rather common in lowlands.
We found that if sown in late August we can have it blooming alreay in late October, persisting until May. Its amazing how a 2 weeks bloomer is nature can become such an exciting ornamental.
Ori Fragman-Sapir
Jerusalem Botanical Gardens

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MikeHardman

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2011, 09:14:13 PM »
Just because I don't have anything to add,
it does not mean I don't have any appreciation!

That can pertain to many topics, and I suspect to many forum viewers.
Hesitant would-be posters: take note, summon courage, post away.
Should your post not attract any immediate replies, know that it may still have made people smile or made them think 'that's interesting'.

Nice topic. Thanks.
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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JTh

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2011, 08:56:59 PM »
I collected some seeds (hard work, very few seeds) this summer, I'm going to spread them here near our house in Halkidikin now, maybe I'll see a flower or two next spring?
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

hilberry

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2011, 10:57:50 AM »
Just because I don't have anything to add,
it does not mean I don't have any appreciation!

That can pertain to many topics, and I suspect to many forum viewers.
Hesitant would-be posters: take note, summon courage, post away.
Should your post not attract any immediate replies, know that it may still have made people smile or made them think 'that's interesting'.

Nice topic. Thanks.

totally agree, Mike.  I'm really enjoying browsing, lurking and learning here.  I'll post if I have anything interesting or useful to say.
Retired artist/potter.  Amateur gardener searching for suitable plants for my hot dry summers, cool wet winters.  Redesigning the garden to have a shady area under trees, so searching also for dry shade plants and ideas for the type of soil needed.  I live in S.Loire Atlantique, France

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MikeHardman

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2011, 08:35:31 AM »
I note the comments on the variability of this species geographically.

If I may elaborate, from Desmond Meikle's 'Flora of Cyprus', pp.1292-1293, where he mentions Merton's comments:
"All large populations in Cyprus show wide variations in flower and bract colour, development of sterile bracts, etc."
Meikle goes on:
"In other parts of its, mostly Mediterranean, range the situation is different, particularly with regard to the development of the sterile bracts. In N.W. Africa, for instance, plants without a showy coma are much more frequent than those with, whereas in Turkey and Iran, the violet-topped form is much more common than that without a coma."
Also (I had no idea):
"S. viridis is a strikingly hygrochastic species with the strongly deflexed calyces soon raised to a horizontal position on wetting."
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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John

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Re: Salvia viridis
« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2011, 11:02:52 AM »
Hydrochastic, I knew there was something special about this plant. But I hadn't known that either.
I have pulled out two pictures that I took quite a few years ago on Crete.
The first shows the typical form on Crete with no bracts at all, at least in the colourful sense.
The second shows what to me was an unusual form with coloured bracts but they were predominantly pink. Though still small.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.