Interesting to read linnea's evaluation of Salvia nemorosa cultivars. I also have used those cultivars extensively, but don't agree as to which is the best, or at least which has been (performed) best for me. I have found May Night big and bushy. If it is true that May Night has the longest bloom time, that doesn't increase it's appeal to me. I want a mixed perennial bed to change colour (and overall height) through the growing season. There's a lot of different perennials to perform and some are more spectacular (I'd say) than Salvia nemorosa. I do agree about Caradonna's bloom and height. So far, I find it a bit narrow for it's height, but on the other hand, it then doesn't take up so much lateral space in (fits better into) a bed of closely spaced mixed perennials. As previously said, Caradonna seems to survive with a fair bit of shading. Personally I prefer the colour of Marcus and East Friesland, but I'm sure it's all a matter of personal taste (and perception - latter re documented variability in the perception of purple and blue).

There;s absolutely nothing wrong with your plant. It could be divided, but its got plenty of blooms so it's not imperative. Although I read May Night "should' be divided every three years, mine has been in place 4 or 5 and thrives. There's no need to 'worry' about cutting it back. If you cut the stem with the spent bloom right down to the next set of leaves, smaller flowers are produced in those leaf axils. They are not a dramatic statement, but they are a color in the garden. Do cut that stem quite close, or the ugly stub sticks up inbetween or next to the new flowering stems. I guess if you blooming season is long enough you could hack the plant way back. But her in zone five, unless the foliage is a mess, I don't usually cut back my perennials all the way. The season often isn't quite long enough for mid to late season flowers to recover and look like anything. You have to learn by experience. Sorry its the truth. If you have a plant that's a little out of line of sight, cut it way back and see what it does compared to the moderately dead headed ones. Tracey .... a well known garden designeer and writer writes books about her experiments. We pay to learn from her. But she's become an expert by hacking, trimming, deadheading and watching and watching and waiting and waiting.

I don't think I can return them. I was considering leaving a hole in the garden this year and planting Caradonna next year, which can be grown from seed, too. I have other uses for the May Night. I am just flummoxed as to why all the pictures on the net have May Night being so much darker, and Nepeta being so much bluer. I might have Walker's Low, which is supposed to have darker flowers than other Repeats. but, I think the main problem might be the May Night. It's just not nearly as dark as others, it seems.

Hi all, If anybody is interested, here's some info about cutting down things like Salvia 'May Night'! This is part of one of my Gardening With Skybird sheets! In the copied part below I specifically mention spike Veronica and Solidago/Goldenrod, but it all applies to Salvia too! And 'May Night" IS one of the ones that regrows fast enough that some years you can get a THIRD primary bloom! It just depends on "how long" summer is, and how quickly you get it cut down as the earlier primary blooms start to fade! With my 'May Night' I cut it an inch or even less above the ground when I cut it down! Some perennials, if cut all the way down and they have time, will come back and produce a whole new “primary bloom.” If you're going to cut a plant "all the way down" cut it no more than a couple inches above the ground (an inch is usually good)—or accept the fact that whatever stems you do leave are going to die and be visible for the rest of the year! Also, if you don't cut them down all the way, some plants will develop new shoots from whatever is left of the old stem—but the "old part” of the stem will still look ratty even tho the new growth on top will look good! One of the plants that can be cut down to the ground and have time to regrow and rebloom—usually!—is spike veronica. However, spike veronica is also one of the plants that produces “secondary” flowers, and the secondary blooms are already often well developed before the primary flowers are done, so you can also just deadhead the individual primary flowers when they get ratty looking, and let the secondary flowers develop. However, secondary flowers, on veronica and many other perennials, get smaller and smaller as they continue to develop, so the choice is to keep “some” color on the plant for a longer time with the secondary flowers, or to cut the plant all the way down and hope there’s enough time for it to produce a second “primary” bloom with larger flowers. Goldenrod (Solidago) is another of the plants that can be cut all the way down and will often have time to rebloom. Hope some of that helps some of you--and with more than just the 'May Night'! Skybird