Re: Salvia for shade?

Hello Claire,
    Thanks for all the recommendations and hints along with your experience
growing Salvia. Nice to hear from someone in a zone colder than mine. I will
give your words of wisdom to my wife for her garden out in the sun. I do not
have any room remaining on the sunny side of my garden... western edge, so
no room there for new goodies.
    There have been several suggestions of salvia for shade of part shade.
Next is hardiness ratings and suggestions on culture. May end up with two or
three salvia for the garden yet.
    JoAn just went through all her raised beds with shovel and knife...
almost everything got popped up from the raised beds, and cut in half, put
back or discarded depending upon their performance the last two years. Quite
a bit ended up on the compost pile. Some is potted up for trading or MG
meetings next year. I hear hints of one more row of raised beds....
    Gene E. Bush
Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, llc
www.munchkinnursery.com
genebush@munchkinnursery.com
Zone 6/5  Southern Indiana
----- Original Message -----
> Gene,
> Off the top of my head, w/o looking up any of the actual plant names, I
would
> say all sages are Salvia, sage being the common name and attached in way
or
> another to many different plants.  All sages that are edible or common
garden
> plants will be Salvia.  Some plants called sage of one sort or another are
> not Salvia but usually dry land plants.  Many or probably most are in some
> measure aromatic.  So much new stuff is always arriving one cannot try to
be
> on top of the perennial picture without searching around constantly.
>
> There is the Salvia page owned by Richard Dufresne who knows more about
> Salvia than anyone I have ever heard on the subject.  He probably has an
> email address posted and loves questions on Salvias. He is also in the
NARGS
> member directory which is online if you cannot find the page.  My computer
> has had a lot of work on it this past summer and fall resulting in the
loss
> of many bookmarks or I would post here.  Dufresne is in, I think??,  North
> Carolina so he would be about your zone and climate.  He sells some
plants.
>
> None of the Salvias grown here will grow well in shade.  That is not to
say
> there are none, just that I don't have any in shade.  Grown in half sand
the
> zone 6 rated plants will survive here and do well.  HighCountrygardens.com
> has some advice and lot of Salvias including one that is a terrific plant
for
> me, Salvia nemerosa 'Plumosa'.  This has huge flower heads and good
foliage.
> There are shades in blue and purple of many species that are so
interesting.
> Ordinary Salvia sclarea,  which is grown from seed,  is long lived and
> reblooms for me.  It is on the seed exchange lists with dozens of others.
>
> Salvias were weedy, I thought, years ago or summer annuals.  It is another
> genus that has caught on with gardeners with many newer and beautiful
plants
> available.  They are the perfect cottage garden plant, bushy, many small
> flowers, long bloom period and fill in between earlier blooming perennials
> for late summer color.  Many are on the tall side but all sizes are
> represented.
>
> There is the very vigorous 'Purple Rain'.  This by being popular and
> appearing in the Walmart has lost some of it's glow but it is still a very
> good garden plant.  You might try 'Purple Rain' in a less sunny area.  It
is
> a very strong plant, blooms on every stalk, lasts a long time and might be
> worth try in shade.  I have a clump of 'Purple Rain that is four feet wide
> and might actually need some restraining.
>
> Gene, while happy in the shade, you could creep over the edge into your
> spouse's sunny garden once in while.  Most gardeners cannot keep
themselves
> confined to one specialty, they simply have to try some new challenges or
> they are not happy.  At least that is how it goes with me and the results
are
> an everchanging garden which somehow just happens.
>
> Claire Peplowski
> NYS z4

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