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  • Salvia

    (Sage)
    Lamiaceae

    A genus whose popularity has risen exponentially in recent times. Offering a diverse range of form and colour there is a Salvia for nearly every garden situation with more and more being discovered and described all the time. The count now stands somewhere in excess of 1000, including subspecies, according to The Plant List. They are found on every continent except Antarctica.

    From a gardeners perspective they can not all be treated the same, they come from many different climates after all, but as a rule of thumb can be grouped into winter rainfall and summer rainfall species and with few exceptions they all prefer well drained soil.

    Soft leaved species from Central and South America are usually autumn and winter flowering. Coming from summer rainfall areas they typically need protection from dry heat and the accompanying high light intensity and they vary in their tolerance of winter damp. As with most plants the larger the leaves the more water they require, this also dictates how fast they grow with many growing several metres in a single season.

    Species from south western North America, South Africa, the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands are all winter growers and are tolerant or demanding of dry heat and summer drought. Slower growing but usually longer lived these all tend to have small, densely haired, silver or grey leaves or a combination of these traits which help them conserve moisture. Most of these require no additional water in Perth and are well adapted to our climate. They tend tend to flower from spring into summer.


    Prune back to where vigorous new basal growth is seen, never to dead wood, they appear to store little food in their stems and without leaves stand a chance of starving to death or at least struggle to regenerate. The exception is those few that are tuberous or clump forming, these can be cut to ground level once the stems start dying back in late autumn.
    • iodantha   CAG00791
      Salvia iodantha
      $12.00earn 60 points

      An evergreen, herbaceous, perennial shrub. Pale green, red stalked leaves are paired along erect, four angled, branching stems. From autumn to winter, one sided spikes of, rich magenta, tubular, hooded flowers are produced. Cut back in spring to the point of new growth at the base.

    • roemeriana   CAG00595

      (Cedar sage)
      $12.00earn 60 points

      A charming small perennial Sage, found amongst limestone in Cedar forest, in Texas, Arizona and into Mexico. The shrubby mounds of softy haired, toothed, heart shaped, grey-green leaves, bear short, rigid stalks of bright red, hooded, two lipped, tubular flowers, endlessly throughout the warmer months. Generally dies down to a tuft of basal leaves over winter.

      Trim of the spent flower stalks to promote flowering and cut down to the point of new growth once flowering has finished in winter.

      Relatively short lived, 3-4 years, but should readily self seed in well drained soil.

      Great for naturalizing in light shade under trees where it will perform well once established, even with considerable dryness over summer.

  • Schizachyrium
    • scoparium ‘Sommelier’   CAG03107
      Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Sommelier’
      $12.00earn 60 points

      A vigorous selection originally from my cousins prairie garden that I have yet to surpass in form or colour.

      Dense vase shaped clumps of powder blue foliage, tinting purple late in the season and with good but brief autumn colour in fiery tones. Slightly arched flowering stems offer sufficient integrity to provide good winter structure without overpowering ethereal summer plantings.

      One of the more drought tolerant warm season grasses, performance will still be limited by moisture availability during the growing season but it will survive just fine without irrigation in Perth.

  • Scilla
    • peruviana   CAG02124
      Scilla peruviana
      $12.00earn 60 points

      An redoubtable star of mediterranean gardens that is here unfathomably underutilized despite possessing both indestructibility and stunning beauty.

      Salubrious clumps of tapering leaves emerge as green stars following the first rains of autumn, grow ever lusher over winter and finally produce fat cones of iridescent blue star shaped flowers atop succulent stalks, pale whiskery bracts prevent stiltedness.
      A clump looks good a mass better. Road verges, median strips, roundabouts or any place in the garden too miserable for lesser plants could be full of these, throw in a few clumps of Watsonia aletroides for a lifetime of carefree gardening extravaganza.

      Plant bulbs just below the surface in any sunny soil, coastal sand or compacted clay seem equally suitable. Summer irrigation is unnecessary but a drink or two during flowering in a dry spring will extend the magnificence. The foliage will naturally desiccate with the onset of summer and can then be removed completely for a fresh start next season, here is a good excuse to use your stone or glass mulch of choice.

      Native to much of the western Mediterranean.

  • Sedum
  • Stipa
  • Stokesia
    • laevis   CAG00623
      $12.00earn 60 points

      A clump forming evergreen herbaceous perennial. Clumps of lance shaped somewhat blue-green foliage above which rise branched stems of split petalled lavender- blue daisy flowers. A tough rwarding plant. Keep well drained.

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