Has anyone grown this? How hardy is it really? I just bought two of them along with two Black and Blue Salvia. I plan to plant the Salvia Maraschino in the garden and the Black and Blue Salvias will be planted in big pots. BTW i am in zone 6a, will it survive with no protection?

I haven't grown Maraschino but I think it is reliably hardy to zone 7. Same with Black & Blue. Black & Blue won't survive in pots without protection even in the ground. In some cases it will come back if it is in well protected area in ground.

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Sean,

Being in zone 9, I can't attest to any cold-hardiness for Salvia 'Maraschino', but it was a hummer favorite at my place for the entire 14 years I had it.

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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

I live in Zone 7a Delaware and Salvia greggii 'Maraschino' has been reliably hardy for me. I have it planted in a south-facing situation in well-drained soil.

I think all these woody western salvias - like Salvia greggii and Salvia microphylla - can be somewhat iffy in the east, especially if you have clay soil that does not drain well in winter. I've tried to make my flowerbeds become better draining, by incorporating some sand into the soil, and I think the results have been favorable. I seem to have a pretty good survival rate. Other hardier ones for me have been Salvia greggi 'Furmans Red' and Salvia microphylla 'San Carlos Festival'. Of these 3 varieties, 'Furmans Red' stays the smallest and can be planted the closest. 'Maraschino' can get pretty big and tall, while 'San Carlos Festival' can get big and wide. So consider that when planting them. I have had less success with other salvias, in terms of having them survive the winter.

Even with good conditions, I still find myself buying some replacements of these every spring. I have about 20 'Furmans Red' and I'd say 16 survived - with 4 replacements needed. I have 1 'Maraschino' and it seems to survive year after year. 'San Carlos Festival' seemed very reliable but we had 2 really bad winters with deep snow, back to back, and some of them have needed replacing as a result (probably too much snow melting on top of them for too long). Like I said, they can be a little iffy. But all are really worth it for hummingbirds - they really go for this type of Salvia so I will always plant them (and replace a few every year). But like I said, you can increase your survival rate by making sure the soil is not overly wet, by incorporating sand and maybe some mulch in the soil of your flower beds. Consider the native habitat of these salvias (SW US and Mexico) when planting them and you will have better success.

This is not a great photo but my 'Maraschino' is planted on the left side of this yucca.


Here is again, between the 2 yuccas, in front of the cactus.


Here is 'San Carlos Festival'. This plant is on the southeast side of my house in well-draining soil and generally survives year to year.


This group of 'San Carlos Festival' on the back side of my house (facing northwest) did not survive as well. But I was able to increase the survival rate on this side of my house by adding sand and mulch to the soil and raising the bed.


Here is 'Furmans Red'. This group is planted on a slightly elevated bed, with some sand mixed in - facing southeast with my house protecting it from behind. Most of these survive every year.


Wilmington, Delaware
USDA zone 7a
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 32

Sean,

I am 6b and Maraschino did not come back for me this year, but Black & Blue did in the ground. I have overwintered B&B in a large pot in the garage and have had success that way. No water is added to the plant while in the garage for the winter. You could try covering Maraschino with the "leaf bag protection" method over the winter. There is a thread about this. Good luck, enjoy the hummers!

Pam
Matawan,NJ 6B

I'm strongly considering adding a San Carlos Festival to my order from Rich. I need something

Dan
Zone 5
East-central Iowa

Dan
I was going to order San Carlos Festival from Rich also but did not see it on his latest availabilty list. In fact everything that I had planned to order is out of stock

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Penny, I am a bit concerned. I have not heard from Rich since I emailed him a 'please hold' list of plants back in early April. I emailed him a few days ago to add another plant to my list, but he hasn't responded. It would really suck if I can't get the plants I was counting on.

Dan
Zone 5
East-central Iowa

Daqn I know he is in Virgina this week for a Plant Festival. Fromn what he told me he will be back to shopping plants out this coming week as most of his larger festivals will be out of the way by this week end. I think he still has some smaller ones coming up but he shouldn't be too impeded. He has been working very hard to get plants grown out adequately for shipping. This was a tough winter for him.

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Dan,

I got an e-mail from Rich a few days ago and he was preparing for a very busy weekend. April is always a very busy month for plant folks. He said he would be able to deal with orders and e-mails after today. Knowing that he is a one person business, I am always willing to cut him some slack because he imparts so much knowledge to us.

Salvia microphylla 'San Carlos Festival' is one of the most used S microphylla cultivars I have.

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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

Dan,
I just sent you two separate emails

Penny
NY
USDA hardiness zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Thanks, Nancy and Penny.

Sorry Sean, did not mean to hijack the Maraschino thread.

Dan
Zone 5
East-central Iowa

Hello Sean,

I'm in zone 5B and I have to replace it every year. For us it's worth it...a wonderful salvia that really puts on a show! Here's a pic of it next to our Purple Mesa Salvia...


Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Suchie mentioned recently that she thought that Raspberry Delight might be the hardiest of all these types of salvias. Given the vigor of their return and their reliability in variable conditions I think I agree.

The first time I planted Salvia 'Maraschino' it died over the winter...I am in Zone 6b. I bought two new plants and replanted them right next to the foundation of the house last year...one faces south, the other faces southwest. Both are coming back this year, one (south facing) better than the other, but both have green! I don't purposefully mulch them and we had some nights this past winter about -9F.

Jeff

I'm in Zone 5 & lose most all Salvias except for a rare 1-3 every year. Had 'Maraschino' & that & 'Black Cherry' (along with B&B) were my most used. I continue to replace them every year. Tried cuttings last fall but ended up sick & they dried out too much & lost them. I have several x seedlings started of many Salvias that I have grown. 2 of the 3 showing up outside this year are seedlings & not the mother plants so will be interesting to see what I have. Ward had mentioned that these volunteers may be hardier & apparently they are.

Joni
Elwood, IL
Zone 5

How well does it do in a pot?

Sean,

When I had this plant, it was in a large pot for most of its life. I lost it when I put it in the ground and it was overgrown by larger, more aggressive plants.

One of the birds that loved this plant was a male Broad-billed Hummingbird. It was a first for Louisiana and he seemed quite picky. He didn't use a feeder and only drank from Shrimp Plant and this Salvia. Maybe I ought to get one again . . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9