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Robert's and Jasmin's Garden Paradise
MarcR:
--- Quote from: Robert on December 11, 2022, 05:42:11 PM ---......
Hi Diane,
Salvia chiapensis, S. gesneriiflora, and S. semiatrata are some of the winter blooming Salvia species that we grow in our Sacramento garden. I do not think that these species would be cold hardy for you in Victoria, B.C. ??? ......
--- End quote ---
Robert,
Actually, Victoria is not very much colder than Sacramento. It is substantially warmer than Western Oregon even though it is further north.
Diane Whitehead:
The only salvia I have that blooms in late fall and winter is the pineapple sage - Salvia elegans. It does not like frost so lives in my unheated greenhouse.
I always break off the flower stems when it finishes flowering, but maybe I should let it set seed and grow out lots of seedlings to see if one will be able to grow outside.
Hmm. New project in mind - a bit of hybridizing now that I've stopped crossing rhododendrons.
Betsy Clebsch lists a dozen species that flower in the winter.
Robert:
Hi Diane,
If Salvia elegans is tender to the cold in your garden, then species such as Salvia chiapensis, S. gesneriiflora, and S. semiatrata will be impossible to maintain without greenhouse protection during the winter. With a great deal of effort I could keep Salvia elegans, alive through the winter at the Placerville property. I grew both the dwarf so-called Honeydew Melon Sage as well as the regular Pineapple Sage.
The Meso-American and South American Salvia species are still worth growing as container plants in regions where they are not hardy outside during the wintertime. Mariette is growing a fine specimen of Salvia confertiflora as a container plant in Germany. She keeps it in a greenhouse during the winter and as a patio plant outside during warmer weather. Her photographs of this species looked splendid. There are some fine smaller growing species such as Salvia discolor and Salvia sinaloensis that are easy to maintain in containers. These plants are widely available at nurseries in Coast California and seem to be available in the UK as well as in continental Europe. I bet you can find them, in season, at nurseries in coastal BC.
Good luck growing these fine plants. As I stated, I am not an expert with these species, however I have grow many species and hybrids over the decades and continue to grow and breed my own hybrids. I certainly get excited growing and sharing my experiences with these plants.
Diane Whitehead:
Well, elegans might survive outside, but wouldn't flower in the winter. I read that it often gets knocked back to the ground in the Bay area. Maybe I should open the door and let the hummers in for a sip.
We've already had a couple of frosts - the dahlias are no longer flowering.
I just picked the last remaining salvia flower in the garden, an unnamed species from Peru with brilliant blue flowers. I'll use its pollen on my pineapple sage.
Robert:
[Jasmin]: After some days at 33 C, we dropped down into the 9-16 C range. Today started around 8 C, and the sun warmed things up to 16 C, but the wind out of the arctic kept the air cool, while the sun felt hot and burning. The cumulus clouds are phenomenal, billowing, and some quite dark. It is very unpredictable.
The garden parade continues, with one flamboyant display after another. This is so riotous, it deserves its own thread. All the pictures I took in my visually challenged aim and press fashion. I am always amazed when anything turns out. However, it was a perfect 11 C and high overcast, ideal for even the most challenged photographer to get at least something. Welcome to our garden!
The first scene is the newly reconfigured strip. We are looking from the house toward the street.
Some color combinations have turned out surprising. Here are Acer palmatum “Shaina” and Aquilegia seedling with the newly planted Salvia gesneriiflora and Mimulus/Erythranthe guttata.
Looking back toward the house on the garage side, we have Acer palmatum “Pixie” with Rhododendron serpyllifolium with our fence in the background.
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