Re: Salvia Questions on Christmas Eve

Dear Betsy,

How pleasant to hear from you. It was a lovely surprise to receive your letter. I had thought to try to write a monthly report on goings on in my garden but time has flown, and with it my good intentions; hence the occasional letter on the Medit-Plants chat group.

My original plant of Salvia corrugata came from Ken Gillanders of WOODBANK Nursery, Huon Highway, Longley, Tasmania. Ken and his wife, Leslie, go plant hunting every year - usually to South America, particularly to Chile, and sometimes to China. The salvia was collected by them and introduced here through their nursery. So far as I know they have never published any collection data. It has certainly never appeared in their nursery catalogue.

This first plant was rather elderly, pot bound and very woody when I got it, and it did not survive the first winter here. Our winters are usually fairly mild, a few light frosts, very rarely light snow but with biting cold winds that feel as though they blow straight from Antarctica across the Souther Ocean - which they do. My second, and present plant, I bought from our local 'Salvia Man', an itinerant back-yarder who appears from time to time at local produce and farmers markets. He has specialised in Salvias all the while. This plant was a youngster and is very vigorous. Growth is up right but graciously ascendant rather than rigid. At the base the stems have a gentle outward and upward curve where they break from the main stem, or from below the soil. The square stems are covered in a slight indumentum, buff coloured and velvetty rather than hairy. The leaves are deep green, heavily rugose on the upper surface and felted with a buff coloured indumentum beneath. Each broadly spatulate leaf is about 10cm long and 5cm across; markedly and are doubly dentate. ie each leaf tooth has a marked indentation at the top which birurcates almost in the manner of a swallow's tail. It is difficult for me to describe but a close examination just a minute ago strongly reminded me of the fine wavy edge of a hack- saw blade. Is that a helpful simile? The leaves are well spaced along the stem, about 10 -15cm between nodes when growth is vigorous; more compact when growth is slowed by cool weather or drought. I have not flowered my plant yet but saw a sample bloom on display at the farmers market where I bought my plant; it was a terminal spike, about 10cm long half way through the flowering stage. The flowers were an intense deep cobalt blue, not particularly large and without a noticeably prominent lip. I'd say individual blooms are somewhat smaller than the blooms of S. guaranitica, and the colour somewhat darker. To date I cannot say how tall the plant will grow, whether or not it produces side spikes as well as terminal flower spikes, and I cannot say how it will fare in winter, or if it has the capacity to reshoot from below the surface level of the soil should it die back. I can see I have to be much more observant!!!!

As to S. x 'Waverley' I cannot be any more informative. I bought my plant at the same time and from the same person as described above. Now that we are in holiday mode it will be some weeks before the farmers markets resume their usual weekly operation. I will ask next time I see the Salvia Man but in the ematime you could ask Sue Templeton, whom you know. Her address is <templeton@albury.net.au>

'Waverley' appear similar in many respects to S. corrugata. An observation could be that it is similar but less pronounced in many characteristics; the leaves are rugose-corrugated but less than in the species, the indumentum-felting is absent; the leaves are evenly toothed but more bluntly so than in the species; growth seems less vigorous, perhaps more compact. (The label says 1m tall) I would have to be circumspect about how the hybrid may look in maturity. I can report that the flowers are very pale lilac in colour, almost white before they fall. They are produced in short terminal spikes of apprx. the same dimensions given above for the species. I have not yet observed if the flowers are fertile or sterile. I will watch this aspect in the months ahead and report back.

kind regards

trevor n
Trevor Nottle
Garden Historian, Garden Writer, Designer, Consultant
WALNUT HILL, 5 Walker Street, Crafers, SA 5152 AUSTRALIA
Tel./ Fax. 61 8 83394210















































   



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