Re: Hi from L.A.--salvia question from the newcomer

Title: Re: Hi from L.A.--salvia question from the newcomer

Richard, Jane and Sean--
Wow! I'm so glad to be in the company of other salvia fans (with so much knowledge) I would tend to think I have 'maraschino cherry' or the "belize Form" that Sean mentions--it's a clear red-- rather than the microphylla cultivar with a salmon tint--which of course, now I want...

Anyone out there have a good source for Salvia discolor? For some reason it's not around in L.A. There were a couple at the Huntington Spring sale but I was too late.  
I wasn't, however, too late for a beautiful variegated Agave attenuata which I am still hopping up and down about!

Speaking of Salvias (again) I have a white form of Salvia Canariensis. I've grown it from a cutting, we were never sure if it was an actual introduction or just a chance seedling.

thanks for all the info,
Laura

           


----------
>From: "Richard F. Dufresne" <salvia@infi.net>
>To: MEDIT-PLANTS@ucdavis.edu
>Subject: Re: Hi from L.A.--salvia question from the newcomer
>Date: Thu, Jun 8, 2000, 9:26 PM
>

> At 04:54 PM 6/7/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>>The detailed description given very closely fits Salvia 'Marischino'  a S.
>>microphylla cultivar that San Marcos Nursery has.  I would call the stems
>>striped, rather than black.  It has intense Marischino red flowers and a
>>strong minty scent to the leaves.   It is one of my favorites.
>>
>>Jane
>>Santa Barbara
>>
>>>At 086 PM 5/17/00 -0700, Laura Cooper wrote:
>>>>I am happy to be signing on to the group, and hello to Sean especially! Nick
>>>>and I enjoyed your visit to L.A. immensely, thank you for introducing us to
>>>>the discussion group. Ever have any luck finding out what the Salvia with
>>>>red greggi flowers (a tad larger) and long wandering almost black shiny
>>>>stems is? You took some cuttings with, hope they rooted for you--
>>>>happy matilija poppies,
>>>>Laura Cooper
>>>
>>>Laura -
>>>
>>>Well, I finally got a chance to have a phone conversation with Betsy Clebsh
>>>about this Salvia in your garden.  She was able to tell what I was talking
>>>about almost before I had completed my short description.  The moment I
>>>remarked that the stems were what was interesting, she knew immediately.
>>>
>>>For the group who is out of the loop with regard to this, Laura showed me
>>>this large, bushy sage in her garden with deep, dark, wine-red stems that
>>>have a narrow white line on each side, extending from the leaf node up to
>>>the next node, to be started again 90o degrees from the first (following
>>>the opposite arrangement of all Salvia foliage.  A very intriguing effect
>>>at close range!
>>>
>>>This is a form of Salvia microphylla (grahamii) that Huntington brought
>>>back from Belize in the 60s or 70s.  It can grow pretty tall, about 4-6ft,
>>>and as wide.  It differs from the many other S. microphyllas in the trade
>>>in blooming more or less all year round, and being more frost tender
>>>(though apparently perfectly hardy down in So. California where you
>>>are).  S. microphylla is closely related to S. greggii and its group, but
>>>tend to become bushier and denser in growth over time.  This one seems to
>>>attain a large size and should be given lots of room.
>>>
>>>Betsy says she does not grow this plant at the moment, but there are some
>>>still around.  I managed to find a photo at Monterey Bay Nursery's web site
>>>that shows the stems faintly in the background in the upper left hand corner:
>>>http://www.plantpictures.com/S/salvmbl1.jpg
>>>(group - In this picture, it almost looks like reflected light off the
>>>stem, but they really do have these white stripes.)  Luen (of Monterey Bay
>>>Nursery) calls this S. microphylla 'Belize form', which is an acceptable
>>>name based upon Betsy, who also mentions this form in her book, A Book of
>>>Salvias.
>>>
>>>So, if you don't find a plantlet, and if I cannot manage the cuttings
>>>again, I would have some sort of resource down here.
>>>
>>>We look forward to seeing you and Nick again in July!
>>>Regards,
>>>Sean O.
>
> Sean's description is quite accurate for the plant I have had for about 14
> years now for the Salvia microphylla from the Huntington.  I think it was
> collected by Fred Boutin.  It is the least hardy microphylla, and its more
> succulent habit betrays this. Its flowers are tinted more of a salmon shade,
> with a distinct orangy tint to them.
>
> The hardy microphyllas have much more wiry, woody stems, like most of their
> greggii cousins.  The plant that Jane mentions, if the description is
> exactly like Sean's, is not `Maraschino', a quite different plant.  The
> latter is the first hybrid that I released to the trade, about 15 years ago.
> It has true red flowers and the wiry stems of its parents, S. greggii
> `Furman's Red' and the S. grahamii once offered by Far North Gardens.
>
> If anyone is interested, I can send them a JPG scan of the two plants.
>
> Richard F. Dufresne
> 313 Spur Road
> Greensboro, North Carolina  27406 USA
> 336-674-3105
>
>
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