Salvia 2015/2016

[David Nicholson]

Nice Fred, I particularly liked Salvia uliginosa

[Hans J]

David ,

I had a lot of flowers on my Nachtvlinder ...but now it is cut back and the pot is in my Garage

I will not try my Salvia cultivars outside ...if we get a real strong winter ...

Hans

[meanie]

The one I referred to above is Salvia 'Nachtvlinder' a couple of poor pictures below.

David, what have you done to your Nachtvlinder  It is an absolute thug...................


It is still blooming like that and has totally mugged Royal Bumble!

[David Nicholson]

Maybe it doesn't like being contained in a pot?

[meanie]

Maybe it doesn't like being contained in a pot?

On the whole I would agree that the S.microhylla, gregii and x jamensis types are better in the ground yours (and please don't take offense) doesn't look large enough to trouble that pot. What sort of mix is it potted up with.
Or is it possible that you allowed it to dry out over an extended period? Whilst they are quite drought tolerant extended dry spells will knock them back.

[David Nicholson]

JI No. 3, sand and grit and has had the odd feed of high potash. I don't think we have ever had "an extended dry spell" here 

[meanie]

JI No. 3, sand and grit and has had the odd feed of high potash. I don't think we have ever had "an extended dry spell" here 

That sounds like a good Salvia mix but............ when I grow shrubby types in pots I tend to just stick to a good MPC without the added drainage. The main reason being that if they're in a pot I shove them in the garage for the winter as they will be less hardy. By all reports Nachtvlinder appears to be very hardy so I would shove it in the ground in the spring if it were me.

[David Nicholson]

That sounds like a good Salvia mix but............ when I grow shrubby types in pots I tend to just stick to a good MPC without the added drainage. The main reason being that if they're in a pot I shove them in the garage for the winter as they will be less hardy. By all reports Nachtvlinder appears to be very hardy so I would shove it in the ground in the spring if it were me.

Ah, there's the rub meanie, where can you get a good multi-purpose compost these days? Provided it doesn't get too cold outdoors I'm tempted to leave it in the pot until Spring and then try to find somewhere for it in the garden. Or if it does come cold I'll give it b&b in the garage and then plant it out Springtime.

[ChrisB]

It never occurs to me that these salvias are tender, I just leave them out and hope for the best.... not had a lot of losses so far, but I have got sandy free draining soil and even in wet winters like the last one they come through with no difficulty, and I'm a tad further north than you good folks.

[meanie]

Ah, there's the rub meanie, where can you get a good multi-purpose compost these days? Provided it doesn't get too cold outdoors I'm tempted to leave it in the pot until Spring and then try to find somewhere for it in the garden. Or if it does come cold I'll give it b&b in the garage and then plant it out Springtime.

I swear by this David............
http://gro-humax.co.uk/products/humax-original/

It never occurs to me that these salvias are tender, I just leave them out and hope for the best.... not had a lot of losses so far, but I have got sandy free draining soil and even in wet winters like the last one they come through with no difficulty, and I'm a tad further north than you good folks.

I find them hardy here in The Cotswolds where we frequently suffer some of the coldest nights in the UK. The only precaution that I take is to leave pruning back until the spring.

[ChrisB]

I agree, I never cut them back until late spring, they look untidy, but I think it saves them.

[Robert]

In California I always prune the "shrubby" Salvias (microphylla - greggii types and some others too) in the spring. Around here they can look awful all winter if trimmed in the autumn. More chance of die-back too - sometimes from cold weather, more often from damp-wet. For us, waiting until new growth starts works well. It is not uncommon to get a few flowering stems in the winter too.

To keep some Salvias tidy, a light summer trim can work well. Too often I do not have time for this, however plants can look spectacular in the autumn using this method.

[meanie]

For me it is simple - autumn pruning rarely leaves enough time for the cut to heal. Plants with hollow stems benefit from the spring tidy up as well as it stops moisture running down the stems and rotting the plant from the inside out.
For me it is easy as I'm not a tidy garden protagonist. Far better to have a nice garden in the summer than a tidy garden in the winter when it is of no use to me.

[Cfred72]

If I may add: in a garden pruned in spring or late winter, beneficial insects refuge to spend the bad season. A specialist Salvia having his nursery in Bruges in Belgium, advises prune in the spring and avoid soil moisture in winter. (Well drained)