Can anyone help me identify these two types of Salvia? Will they attract hummingbirds? A lone female showed up in my yard about two weeks ago and has been hanging around. My hummingbird gardens aren't quite ready for her yet, so she has had to make due with feeders. I picked up two types of Salvia at the store but have little clue which types they prefer. Both plants simply say "salvia" on them but to me they look like different varieties. Thanks in advance!
This message has been edited by bob2aa on May 29, 2008 9:41 AM This message has been edited by ovlov on May 26, 2008 10:25 PM
Both of these plants appear to be Salvia splendens, the 'ordinary' Salvia sold at every nursery, hardware store, discount center, and grocery in the United States. Hummingbirds will go to them, but they are not among the 'primo' attractants. I could probably list 50 species that would do a better job.
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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9
Nancy, it would be GREAT if you would list the others! I'm still a new to the forum and appreicate (taking notes) all the information that is shared. Question... Why do Hummingbirds travel North when their food supply maybe so limited (early in the season), not staying in Southern regions where plants are blooming?
Jana
Salvia I have tried [with varying degrees of success] and which I've observed hummers using here at Casa Colibrí or which I have observed hummers using in other gardens or which are mentioned in literature as being used by hummers:
Salvia regla
Salvia coccinea
Salvia coccinea 'Brenthurst'
Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph'
Salvia coccinea ‘Vermilion’
Salvia coccinea – pure white
Salvia coccinea ‘Pink Dreamsicle’
Salvia caudata ‘El Cielo Blue’
Salvia greggii
Salvia greggii ‘Cherry Queen’
Salvia leucantha
Salvia leucantha 'Waverly'
Salvia leucantha ‘Midnight’
Salvia mexicana
Salvia mexicana 'Compton's'
Salvia mexicana 'Dan Lane'
Salvia guaranitica
Salvia guaranitica 'Argentina Skies'
Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'
Salvia guaranitica 'Costa Rica Blue'
Salvia 'Purple Majesty'
Salvia elegans
Salvia cacaliaefolia
Salvia clevelandi
Salvia chiapensis
Salvia blepharophylla
Salvia buchananii
Salvia confertiflora
Salvia fulgens
Salvia gesneraeflora
Salvia holwayi
Salvia involucrata
Salvia iodantha
Salvia karwinskii
Salvia madrensis
Salvia microphylla
Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’
Salvia microphylla ‘La Trinidad’
Salvia microphylla ‘San Carlos Festival’
Salvia miniata
Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
Salvia purpurea
Salvia purpurea 'Lavender Lace'
Salvia lyrata
Salvia pulchella
Salvia semiatrata
Salvia splendens
Salvia splendens 'Van Houttei' - red
Salvia splendens 'Van Houttei' – burgundy
Salvia splendens 'Van Houttei' – lavender
Salvia splendens 'Van Houttei' – light orange
Salvia subrotunda
Salvia roemeriana
Salvia 'Chiquita Blue'
Salvia 'Raven'
Salvia ‘Riverside’
Salvia uliginosa
Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’
Salvia ‘Anthony Parker’
Other Salvia, some of which might have promise, if I can obtain them and can grow them, or which are mentioned in literature or by other hummer gardeners as being used by hummers:
Salvia sagitatta
Salvia canariensis
Salvia cinnabarina
Salvia pichichensis
Salvia hirtella
Salvia macrophylla ‘Tingo Blue’
Salvia darcyi
Salvia mexicana 'Limelight'
Salvia macellaria
Salvia penstemonoides
Salvia oppositiflora
Salvia rubescens
Salvia spathacea
Salvia sessei
Salvia wagneriana
Salvia ‘Silke’s Dream’
Salvia that seem to have no hummingbird value:
Salvia reptans
Salvia farinacea
Salvia coahuilensis
Salvia patens
Salvia discolor
Jana, there are several reasons why hummers continue northward. The simple answer is that they are innately programmed to do so. The drive to procreate is stronger than any other biological drive. The birds have no way of knowing that nectar and protein resources may be scarce. Hummers can live on only nectar or on only bugs for a while. They can find sweets in sap from trees. Our hummers are very clever.
The list of hummer Salvia species, cultivars, and hybrids might seem extensive. However, there are lots more that I have not tried and don't have space to try. I don't currently have all of these.
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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9
I grew farinacea one year and I loved the color of the flowers but the hummers never went near it. To be fair It was surounded by Salvia coccinea. I have S. reptans growing but it will be much later before it blooms. It is a little hardier than some of the others so I am curious to see how it will work with the hummers here.
Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39
This message has been edited by Pennytoo on May 28, 2008 8:23 AM
It has been years since I grew farinacia, but I do recall seeing some visits. I've brought around a dozen new types for testing into the garden - melissodora is one I'm most curious about.
I used to always have farinacea in my garden because I liked the blue color, but I think the other salvias have a higher nectar content as well as more sugar. Maybe Nancy can test that one. I think I have 2 in my yard now. A blue one and I had a blue-violet one. The salvia I want to try is holwayi. It's a winter bloomer that needs some shade. Maybe this fall. I've also thought about gesneraeflora, but I think it gets real big and I'm not sure about bloom time.
Thanks! Unfortunately I have yet to find any of these types of Salvia for sale anywhere in any form.
The only thing that's bloomed so far is columbine. I have Hostas, bee balm and royal catchfly(usually their favorite) but they haven't bloomed yet. I can only confirm one hummingbird in the yard at the moment, so I suppose she's happy to have the columbine and feeders all to itself.
Thank you for this very comprehensive list. We have most of them except for Salvia mexicana, which just blooms too late for us and takes up too much space. This year we are trying Salvias El Cielo Blue, Melissadora, Urica, and Semiatrata--we'll see how those work out.
Brian, I'm not sure where you live, but if it's in the north, you must depend on mail order to find most of them. If you wish to e-mail me privately, I can let you know which mail order nurseries have them and have worked out well for us. I am a nut about salvias.
Kathi and Michael Rock
Madison, Wisconsin
Zone 4/5
Brian what part of the country are you in? It sounds as though you may be up north since you mentioned your columbine is blooming. I have Coral Honeysuckle and Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle that have just now begun to bloom. Most of the Salvias mentioned are not available in my area either and I have either started them from seed or ordered them online but I haven't grown as many as Kathi or Nancy. The salvia guaranitca Black and Blue is becoming more available everywhree within the past couple of years and I have actually been able to find that one locally. Salvia coccinea Lady in Red is available from my local WalMart stores so even tho they do reseed for me I always buy a few as soon as they come in so I have a few blooming plants but to be honest they only use the feeders when they first arrive. Mine haven't even looked at the 4 Black and Blue or the 18Lady in red yet this year. I also pick up a couple of Fucshia Gartenmeister Bonstedt which is becoming pretty common around the country. I put those in a couple of raised planters or hanging baskets
Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39
I am in the upper midwest. What does Walmart call their lady in red and salvia guaranitca? I think one of the issues is that every store I visit has different names for the same plant. None of the employees know the real names of the plants. I haven't looked at Walmart yet and there is one other store that I need to check out.
Hi Brian,
I find Lady in Red at Wal Mart in the Qt. sized pots. I think they may actually be a little bigger than a quart. The pots are white and have red and blue banding that says ALL AMERICAN SELECTION WINNERS on the side of the pot. There are 3 plants in the pot. The plant tag say SALVIA at the top and under the picture it say Lady in Red. Here is a link to a picture of one of the pots I bought a couple of weeks ago http://www.network54.com/Forum/439743/thread/1210956989/Looking+for+Salvia+c-+Lady+in+Red-
I have never found Salvia guaranitica at my Wal Mart stores but others have. Some have found them at Lowe's and maybe Home Depot but they haven't been made available at the stores in my area. Some Ace Hardware stores have also had S. guaranitica. I have found a local nursery about 12 miles from me that has started to carry it the past couple of years and last week I also found it at our local farmer's market by one of the nurseries further out in the country that comes in once a week.
Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39
The independent garden centers here had a lot of plants with the 'Proven Winners' tags, among them Black and Blue, Salvia coccinnea Spanish Dancer and some abutilons. This is the first time I am seeing them here. Your local nurseries may also have similar plants.
We have never seen Salvia coccinea or guarantica at our Wal Mart or Home Depot stores here in Madison. We don't have Lowe's in Madison, so can't comment on them. We purchase our local salvias at a major plant nursery and we also found quite a nice selection (Salvias greggii, miniata, Maraschino, and Scarlet Spires) at a small locally owned nursery out in the country.
Priya, Betsy Clebsch's Salvia book is a great one and we've learned so much from it. You may also want to purchase "The Gardener's Guide to Growing Salvias" by John Sutton. Many of the salvias not in Betsy's book are in John's. Also, John lives in Great Britain and Betsy lives in California---his comments on what salvias will grow well and survive in a cool climate are sometimes very helpful to us here in Wisconsin (although we are even colder than Great Britain, but Great Britain is closer to Wisconsin than California is). Enjoy the book and your salvias.
Kathi and Michael Rock
Madison, Wisconsin
Zone 4/5
No luck at Walmart or Lowes. I was able to find Salvia Nemorosa at another place, so I picked up some of that. There is a place that carries All American Selection Winners nearby and I might check them out soon.
Gee I sure wish more Wal Mart stores were able to get their growers to provide the Lady in Red. The ones our store gets comes from Fernlea Growers in Ontario Canada. I know they ship to nurseries around the country but no idea which ones. If you have a nursery that sells the All American Selection Winners I would definitely check with them.
Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39
Disregard my previous post... I called the All American Selection Winners dealer and they claim to have tons of Lady in Red. I will head over there tomorrow and stock up if that's the case.
I'm disappointed that Nan mentioned Salvia patens as not being used. Just bought it over the weekend. It's very pretty even if not. Looks like a sky blue B&B, almost.
They weren't lying when they said they had the stuff. I picked up some Lady in Red, Coral Nymph, and Nicotiana 'hummingbird mix'. I have never heard of Nicotiana but they claimed it was a plant that hummingbirds enjoy visiting.
Good score there Brian. I used to grow the nicotiana that you purchased. The flowers do have a lot of nectar but I never saw my hummers use them but to be fair to the plant they were in an awkward location for viewing
Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39
I think it is good that Brian is trying it. Since we northerners can't grow that yellow flowered tree one we have to look to lesser types. For me it is mutabilis and it did get use last year. It is one kick-but tobacco, up to five feet tall or so and it grows quickly and comes into bloom quickly. Some nurseries around the area sell the one Brian is speaking about, I've never tried but wondered? Langsdorffii is another that is easy to grow with green flowers. It is another hummingbird pollinated plant; I never saw much action on it last year. It wasn't quite a fair test since the plants were surrounded by a sea of salvia and flanked by a Corol Honeysuckle. In those conditions it is easy to become a wall flower.
I wonder about all this "hummingbird plant" labeling. It is great that wildlife gardening is becoming popular and people are realizing that there is more to gardening than just splashes of color. But I wonder about the scholarship behind the labels and the motives of the labeler. I wish I could think of an example right now, but more than once I've seen plants labeled as hummingbird plants that probably aren't. There is a tendency to lump groups of species together like salvias and heucheras as if any member will feed hummingbirds, which we know is far from true. Do such mistakes help to put a new gardener on the path to the true hummingbird plants? Maybe, if that person is motivated enough to keep searching. For others it will be a dead end and no hummingbird will get fed.
I'll climb off my high horse now before I fall off and hurt myself or say something outrageous.
A lot of flowers I looked at claimed to attract all sorts of things. Most of the claims I found doubtful. In my opinion, the easiest way to attract native wildlife is usually to plant native plants. Where I live, native prairie plants usually work best but a lot of them are hard to get hold of. I was lucky enough to be given some Silene regia(royal catchfly), which is a native prairie plant that draws the native hummers like a magnet.
If the hummers will go anywhere near the nicotiana, I plan to have photographic documentation of it! I am hoping the 8-10 hummers I had last summer will return with friends.
Monarda (Bee Balm) is another species where the labels all state that it is a hummer magnes. Many of the bee balms are magnets to bees and only the larger flowered Monarda draw in the hummers for a snack. Penstemons and agastaches are also lumped int the hummingbird category along with all salvias
Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39
You're so right. i bought agastache 'blue fortune' last year and all I got was bees. Same thing with salvia Indigo Spires. And lets not forget about the vines of morning glory I had all over the place. (Wrong kind.)
