I just wanted to report that last year my plant bloomed in August and was successfully pollinated. I didn't collect a lot of seed but did collect enough to try a few plants from seed. I was successful in germinating 3 or 4 seeds and I am happy to report that one of those plants (that had become obscured from view by my coccineas is blooming. I didn't even notice it at first amidst the sea of red blooms but there it was poking up through the stems of one of my coccineas with several little blooms. I didn't think it would bloom the first year so wasn't too concerned about where it was planted. Now if it survives the winter in that location I will be moving it in the spring.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I have a reptans which didn't bloom yet; don't know which one it is.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Penny,

I said on an earlier message that you posted about this salvia that our plant from last season did not come back this year. Well, one day late this summer I noticed that it was there and blooming. We've never seen a hummer try it though, but maybe it's because it's buried by too many other plants.

Whenever we can get an unusual salvia to come back in Wisconsin, it's a victory for sure.



Kathi and Michael Rock
Madison, Wisconsin
Zone 4/5

Kathi
My parent plant came back very robust this year and as I mentioned I even had a few seedlings from that plant but they were very late in blooming this year. Last year the parent bloomed well before my hummers left and even though it wasn't the first plant they hit in the bed, it did get worked over pretty good. It probably helped that it was planted behind my Cherry Chief greggii which was a major work horse in that bed. This year the parent just started blooming about a week ago and my hummers are all gone now. The seedlings had all been forgotten about since all the other plants have grown up around them. If I hadn't seen their little blue blooms poking through the coccineas I would have never known they were blooming since these are planted in an area I don't check out very often. If the seedlings survive the winter where they are now I will definitely be moving them to a spot where they will be more prominent. I think it will look much better with the agastaches where they won't be competing with plants that have larger blooms.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I made a mistake! I have Regla, not reptans. Oops!

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Mine is I think in its fourth year and still a fairly small plant. It started blooming several weeks ago. I have never seen it used by bird or butterfly.

Mine could get good use because I usually have a greggii down in front of it and now an Agastache beside it. If it was in a more open area it might not get as much use but I am not sure about that.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I love this plant





It reminds me of tall grass or wheat





sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Thanks Sarah,
I really love this plant too and thanks for posting your pictures with the blooms. They are so delicate and a real true blue. I would really like to have several of them going in various places more for contrast from the other salvias than anything else.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I know what you mean I have a few but the ones in my main flower bed are outnumbered by other plants I also have salvia azurea in bloom with a beautiful blue flower but it's so floppy I can hardly see it.

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Sarah, Next year I am going to keep my Salvia azureas pinched back until June so that they stay shorter. I put tomato cages around mine to keep them up and a tall bamboo stake in the middle so I can wire them to that if I need to. If you keep them pinched back until early to mid june they will only get about 3-4 ft. tall.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Thanks Penny I will try that. They (the azurea) have odd woody type stems unlike most of the salvias. The problem I have with that area of my yard is its planted next to four very aggressive plants although I did plant the azurea in another area as well they never came back. The aggressive plants are hibiscus moscheutos, native perennial sunflowers blue lobelia and trumpet vine The fact that they weren't smothered to death by the other plants is a plus for sure.

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Sarah if the azurea is close ehough to the trumpet vine perhaps you could tie it up to the trumpet fine when it reaches its full height if it is too much truble to keep them pinched back.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I noticed a baby reptans near the original plant the other day, it is the first seedling I have seen for the species.

See there Ward, you are meant to keep this plant around LOL!

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

That's great Ward.

Penny I might try that thanks. I have tried to get the reptans and azurea in the same picture for several years. I took this photo last year when it was much drier so there was alot less growth on the trumpet vine and sunflowers If you look hard enough you might be able to see both the reptans and azurea sorry about the blurriness



sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Sarah, I can see both just fine. There is just enough contrast in the 2 different blues to make them easy to spot. I have one new azurea from my reseeders that is growing up with the reptans this year. Both of mine a a bit floppy this year with all the rain we have had the last 3 days. They just start to dry out and stand up and it starts raining again.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Sounds like we have the same weather. I wonder if there are any even later blooming blue salvias?

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Sarah it has been just miserable here. I went out and picked a few more tomatoes before they end up rotting from the cold and wet but otherwise I am staying inside with the heat on until it warms up a bit more and the sun comes back out.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39