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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.
    • discolor   CAG01270
      Height1mWidth1mFlowering SeasonAllWaterMLightLight Shade
      Salvia discolor
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      From the Peruvian Andes comes this surprising plant, both in hardiness and flower. The arching stems are covered in a fine white suede as is the underside of the leathery, broadly lance shaped mid green leaves that are well spaced along them and which smell remarkably like blackcurrants when brushed. Sinuous, slender stems, sticky to the touch, carry tiered, pendant clusters of silvery bracts from which emerge black (technically very, very dark purple), two lipped, tubular flowers pretty much year round.

      Its clean lines and graceful habit sits well, at least to my eye, with minimalist architecture and pottery to which its flexibility, tolerance of wind, shade and confined root space makes it even more suited. Otherwise it would look great on your cliff, mountainside, retaining wall or in a large hanging basket.

      While it does appreciate regular water it's not about to keel over at the first sign of dryness and proves difficult to kill. Remarkably long lived so long as drainage is excellent.

      Thin the oldest stems to allow more space for vigorous new basal shoots when they are seen.

    • dorrii var. pilosa   CAG02627

      (purple sage, Desert sage)
      Height40cmWidth70cmFlowering SeasonSp - SuWaterLLightFull Sun
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      Pungently scented, silver spoon shaped leaves clothe the cork barked branches of this low growing shrub, adaptations that no doubt help it survive the harsh environment of its home in the deserts of south west North America. In spring slender spikes bear tiered whorls of sapphire blue flowers emerging from rosy bracts.

      A plant of rare beauty it is intolerant of wet feet and summer humidity, much preferring extremes heat, drought and cold preferably in sand or other poor sharply drained soil. Moist coastal gardens will invariable prove fatal as will mulch and soil improver.

    • officinalis Broad   CAG02206
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

    • pachyphylla   CAG02284

      (Mountain desert sage, Blue sage, Rose sage, Purple sage)
      Height50cmWidth60cmFlowering SeasonSp - SuWaterLLightSun
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      Luminous blue-mauve tubular flowers emerge from whorls of rich rosy pink bracts tiered on erect spikes atop a low mound of, highly aromatic, silvery white spoon shaped leaves crowding stiff woody stems.

      One of the most spectacular members of the genus, from the high semi-deserts of California and surrounds and so strictly for drier inland gardens, with their more favourable extremes of heat and cold, where it will prove exceptionally hardy and very long lived. Excellent drainage is essential, with constant moisture, warmth and humidity tolerated only briefly. An occasional summer drink is appreciated but perhaps no more than once a month.

  • Tagetes
  • Teucrium
    • marum   CAG01680

      (Cat thyme)
      Height25cmWidth40cmFlowering SeasonSp - SuWaterLLightFull Sun
      Teucrium marum
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      A small, very silver, pungently aromatic sub-shrub from the western Mediterranean, happiest in exposed dry soil and perfect for edging or parterre. Many short wands of soft magenta, two lipped flowers lend the stiffly twigged mounds, clothed in tiny, silver, rhomboidal leaves, a dreamy quality during late spring.

      Easily grown in any well drained sunny site. Summer irrigation unnecessary.
      A quick annual tidy up after flowering, to remove the spent stems, keeps it looking attractive over summer. Older plants can be cut back to the point of new basal growth in late winter to rejuvenate them.

      As its common name infers it is often adored by feline denizens of the garden, boon or bane depending on you point of view, and their wallowing and mauling can leave it a little worse for wear but seldom proves fatal.

  • Tulbaghia
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