Fragrant, pink clouds of salvia
Undaunted by the heat of this rainless summer in Austin, commonplace old Autumn sage (Salvia greggii ) has decided to make a stand. Without even waiting for me to trim back the spent blooms, it burst into full flower again this week, creating billowing, pink clouds held up by fragrant, green-leaved stems.
Another look. That’s softleaf yucca (Yucca recurvifolia ) offering a contrasting texture beside it.
I’ve planted this bushy, low-growing salvia on each side of the entrance to my front-yard courtyard garden, so that anyone entering may brush their legs against the leaves, releasing the fragrance.
This year I added a bat-face cuphea (Cuphea llavea ) next to it, and I like how the red and hot pink play off each other, aided by the purplish pink “faces” of the cuphea flowers.
Next to the salvia is a potted, purple prickly pear (Opuntia macrocentra ). We don’t want to brush our legs against that one, no sireee.
Here’s hoping for rain from Tropical Storm Eduardo!
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Looks like things are thriving in spite of your dry weather, at least it looks that way from the photos. We use a lot of greggii here and it does well as long as it stays relatively well-drained in the winter. Do you think the cuphea will be hardy for you? It is a great annual here. I hope you get the rain, but with no damage.
In the more protected areas of the garden, the bat-face cuphea will return. This one may not because it’s exposed on the north side. Thanks for the rain wishes, but chances are looking very slim now. —Pam
I love this Salvia! It looks wonderful! It contrasts beautifully with the yucca. I was hoping Eduardo would move northeast!
It looks like Eduardo is fizzling out. No rain here yet, and the forecast is now suggesting little to none. —Pam
I love that salvia! I have recently become a huge fan of salvias in my rose gardens. Yours is a new one to me. I looked it up and see that I might just be able to grow that here in my zone (5b/6a). I couldn’t count on it always coming back after hard winters, but I think it would be worth the risk.
Are wildlife (bees, hummingbirds, butterflies) attracted to this plant? That would just be a bonus.
Hi, GBM. Salvia greggii is a wonderful plant to grow, even if you can only have it as a tender perennial or an annual. It’s very fast growing. And yes, bees, sphinx moths, and hummingbirds absolutely love it. —Pam
I love the pink and green combination in your garden now. I hope you get some rain from the storm.
It looks like the rain forecast is going to be a bust. It’s that kind of a summer, I’m afraid. —Pam
You’re one of the few I’ve read that talk about brushing up against the plants. I do the same as the aromas generated by it is always a pleasant surprise to garden visitors. My favorite brushing against plants are Copper Canyon Daisy and Cinnamon and African Blue Basil. You can see it in peoples faces as the aroma hits them. I always like that.
Yes, copper canyon daisy has a very intense fragrance. ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia gives off a licorice-like fragrance, which I love. And kidneywood tree has a lemony-smelling leaf. —Pam
That is a true gift! Flowers during 100 degree temperatures. That is a durable salvia and so delicately pretty. Nice combo with the cuphea. Is that hardy for you also?
The bat-face cuphea is a tender perennial. It usually returns if planted in a protected location. That is, in my central Austin garden. Farther from town, like Annie in Austin’s garden, it’d probably be toast. —Pam
Well, no rain. I’m sorry. Maybe another one will come. Love the salvias and autumn sages. We had a drought filled hot summer like yours one year, and they were about the only thing blooming in my garden. Every hot summer garden should have a few of these shouldn’t it?~~Dee
Dee, I look forward to seeing your salvias on my upcoming visit! —Pam
Pam, I want you to give me lessons on pruning my S. greggiis. Mine rarely look that bushy and floriferous. What’s your secret???? I suspect it’s got a lot to do with the timing of the prunings. Whatever your secret is, they really are lovely!
Cindy, I prune them HARD in mid-February (they look like stubby sticks for a week or so afterward), and fairly hard (by one-third) in May and August. These are in full sun, which helps them avoid that spindly, reaching-for-the-light look, and I amended my heavy clay soil before planting with lots of decomposed granite for good drainage. And of course these do get supplemental irrigation since they’re in my front-yard garden. —Pam
Do you give those salvias any extra water? Mine survives without it but never looks as nice as yours, so I tend to water it every 1-2 weeks during the hot summer months. Also mine are a different color, more on the red side and not as pink. I like the color of your’s a lot!
Hi, Gintoino. I give these salvias a good drink, along with the rest of the garden, on the same watering schedule as you—normally every 1-2 weeks in the summer. This summer, which has plagued us with more than a month of triple-digit temperatures and drought, I’ve been watering the garden once a week, two inches at a time for a good, long soak that encourages deep roots. Salvia greggii will often survive neglect, but as you point out, it doesn’t necessarily look good while trying to stay alive. Glad you like the hot pink. I love the red too. I’ve also tried the white and the raspberry, but they didn’t perform as well for me. There’s a salmon color available too, but I don’t care for it. —Pam
I love the bright pink with the blue-green foliage of the succulents. It looks cool, even in the blazing heat. I hope Texas gets a break from the heat & drought soon. It’s amazing how lush your garden looks in spite of the weather.
It’s fun and surprising that such a hot pink can still contribute to a visually cool garden, isn’t it? But I agree with you. I sometimes wish I’d indulged my passion for red in the sunny front garden, but then I remember how visually cooling this color combo is. So I save my hottest reds for the back garden. —Pam
I have had red, blue, white, but not pink. It really looks good and is really great for the late summer garden.
I’ve never seen a blue Salvia greggii, Mother Nature. It sounds lovely. —Pam
Pam- It is amazing to see how well your garden is doing despite the triple digit temperatures. You have chosen plants well. Salvia greggii is an absolute garden saver isn’t it?
Thank you, Jenny. There are some tough old boots growing in the front garden. The ones that aren’t tough don’t get invited back. And yes, I adore Salvia greggii for its flowery dependability and attraction for hummingbirds and bees. —Pam
Beautiful. I don’t even notice how hot it is with pictures like those. Excellent plant choice!
Oh, you’d notice the heat if you were here, Carol. 😉 But thanks for the nice words. Good old salvia! —Pam
Thanks for your nice note of congrats to me, Pam! I miss the batface we planted two in our Wildscape last summer. They really FLOURISHED. I loved them! However, they decided not to come back in the spring. It was a mild winter, too. Talk about disappointed!
Bat-face cuphea doesn’t always come back in my warm (OK, hot) city garden, so I’m not surprised to hear that in your more rural garden it didn’t return. It grows so fast though, and can be bought as a little 4-inch pot so cheaply, that it’s well worth growing as a summer annual, don’t you think? —Pam