Black and Blue Salvia

15 years ago

I have seen black and blue salvia applauded on this forum but I only saw it for the first time last week at Lowe's.

I am pretty much done for this year but I would love to try some next year. Do I have to wait for it this late in the season? Are there any online vendors out there who offer it earlier in the season?

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Comments (5)

deeje
15 years ago
I don't know if my experience is any help to someone in Kentucky, but I see black and blue salvia nearly everywhere up here in the spring -- even in those temporary greenhouses that are set up on parking lots.

Here, it's displayed with the "expensive annuals," the plants in 4" pots rather than in 4-packs (for us, that also includes perennials like gaura). There's usually a lot in stock because it isn't in bloom yet, and everyone's gravitating toward the impatiens and the petunias. More for me!
DYH
15 years ago
It's a tender perennial.

Here in my zone 7, they usually make it with good winter drainage. I don't cut mine back in the fall, leaving the foliage on it until spring cleanup. I wouldn't plant one in the fall here because it wouldn't have time to get established. IMHO, it's best to plant in the spring.

Cameron
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I winter over Black and Blue salvia by cutting back and potting it up then putting in a cool dark basement room. Once a month I give it a small amount of water to keep tubers from shrinking. In the early spring I put it under lights for new growth and plant in the garden after the last frost date. Some of my plants have been wintered over three or four years. Editted to add: when I cut it back I cut it way back to just a short stem. That should make even a large one easy to pot up. This post was edited by mnwsgal on Mon, Nov 10, 14 at 12:10
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Vicki - I just found some at one of my local nurseries here this past Friday. They had just received the shipment of that and a number of other hummer salvias (eg., 'Argentine Skies') that day. I think that many of the summer bloomers are being held back by some nurseries until this 3rd week of May to make sure that they can avoid those late late frosts - particularly those places that don't have much greenhouse space. You might want to try doing the rounds again to see if any are now appearing at your favorite spots... I know that I've never seen any over here at Lowes, Wally World, or HD so I don't even bother looking at those places any more.
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I looked it up and found they are tuber plants, so I ran outside to grab the "potato Roots" that had been spliced at the time I dug the plant up. I had thrown them in the trash, so I got them out and put them in the garden, it sure would be nice if it grew and I got a new plant!. I pulled the plant out of the bucket of water and replanted it, but moved it over a bit so it is not so crowded next to the other plant and fence. I have been neglecting the garden the past few weeks ( between the rain and the heat and other fun summer activities) so maybe the B&B decline was due to under watering or lack of nutrients from lack of attention and rain wash out. Hopefully she will like her new hole. I added mulch mixed in with the sandy soil and added black Kow, hoping some extra material in the soil will do the plant some good.
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I know this is an older post, but if anyone is still interested... I, too, am in NJ & LOVE black and blue salvia and Amistad salvia. Most treat it as an annual in my area, but I discovered how TOUGH & forgiving these are - by the completely lazy way that I overwinter them... I cut down the stem to about 6" and then dig up my plants before first frost. Then I put them in a grocery bag, water a bit, and leave then in a large plastic storage bin on my deck in the shade for a couple days. Then I loosely tie up the top (leaving about a nickel size opening at the top) of the grocery bags & bring the bin down to the basement. My basement is fully finished and heated, but there is a false wall between the finished wall & my foundation, where my circuit breaker box is, which is a tad bit cooler. I leave it there all winter and don't water. (Although next year, I will try to add a bit of water if it looks super dry.) About a week before the last frost safety date (Mother's Day weekend for me), I pull it out & reverse the process. There are usually white or really spindly looking new growth when I open the bags. I just open the bags, water them, and put it back in a shady spot on the deck for a few days. Then I plant them in the garden. They will recover quickly, and grow much, much faster, larger, and bushier than newly-purchased salvia plants. As an example, my newly purchased salvia grew about 2 feet vs the overwintered salvia grew to be over 5 feet! One plant was about 3' wide x 5' tall - amazing!! This totally lazy overwintering "technique" has worked very well for 3 years now.
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leslies
15 years ago
It's sold around here as an annual. The first year I looked for it, I hunted for three months before I found a few last stragglers among the annuals.

If you plant it now, it will bloom well into the autumn so it's still worth planting. If you dig it up before it gets blackened by cold, you can overwinter it, potted, in the basement. You'll be able to start next season with a much larger plant.
remy_gw
15 years ago
A couple years ago I got one in a trade, and I had it in a large pot all season. In the fall, I decided it couldn't come in because I only have so much room. So I dug a big hole on the south side of my house fairly close to the foundation and planted it instead of chucking it.
It has come back for two years now on the outskirts of Buffalo! It is much large this year than last. I wouldn't recommend doing what I did, but if it is going in the compost, what the hey : )
Remy
Donna
15 years ago
It's pleasantly rampant in my beds. It's so commonly grown, and makes so many babies, I should think you might score one in the plant exchanges next spring (or even fall). For my money, it's the most reliable, easiest to care for, longest blooming salvia over two feet that there is. It's worth buying every year if necessary.

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Black and Blue Salvia

Comments (5)

deeje

DYH

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leslies

remy_gw

Donna

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