Hi Emily,

I am so glad that you got my email and found the thread that Duane started. Sorry about making you six inches shorter.

I had so much fun sharing Yvonnes's story and seeds to as many people as I could. Emily you have shared such a wonderful gift with so many, thank you so much for including me.

I am waiting on several more letters for Yvonne and I will send them your way.

Susan

WOW Emily; yours looks FABULOUS! I have a boxwood that's simply must go, and I'd kill to plant Yvonne's Salvia there. DH better get his act together; I've been bugging him for a year already!!!

I would love some seeds too if anyone has extra.

Lisa

oh, what a lovely story-

please put me on the list for seed-
I can send sasbe with a note/card for Yvonne also

thanks,
Linda in Louisville

What fun to grow Yvonne's Salvia! I'll be keeping an eye out for anyone with seeds to share~

Please count me in! What a beautiful plant. My butterflies and hummers would really enjoy this one!

Email me for my addy.

Peggy

Wow! those are amazing! I would also like a few seeds & will keep watch for when they are available.

If anyone has a few seeds to spare, I'd like to try it,too. The pictures are all so impressive, but I really got a kick out of mskee's photo. It looks like she's about to be swallowed up!

Yes, Yvonne, you have brought much beauty to the world and joy to many gardeners.

Karen

Here are a couple of photos of mine. I didn't plant them until end of May or first of June, but they are about 4 ft tall. They look a little scruffy but add a bright spot of color. Next year I am definately going to start them earlier as the hummingbirds love them.

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I forgot to say that I live about 15 miles northeast of Greenville, SC and I am harvesting seeds from mine if anyone local would like some.

Hi! Could anyone spare just a teeny tiny few seeds of these? I just love them! I plant regular size red salvia every year for my hummingbirds, but these are magnificent! If I can even get "5" to grow, then I will have seed next year to share!!!
Thank you (especially Yvonne!)
Maggie

Please add me to the list of people requesting seeds from this special salvia. I grew 'Bonfire' this year which is about 3' tall and beautiful.

I love to pass garden plants/seeds and wisdom from one generation to another.

Thanks.
Bobbie

Please add me to the list of people requesting Yvonne's Salvia seeds. I'll send a note too. Please check out my have list of seeds to see if there is anything you want.
Those are beautiful flowers!

Thank you.
Wendy

Pretty please add me to the list of those wanting to grow these flowers. I have 2 little girls 3 and 1 that are my gardening helpers and we are always looking to add to the gardens. I love the look of these and the size, my girls will be able to hide in them LOL.

Stacie

Oh I would love some of these seeds too if anyone has enough to send me some for my hummers. I would be happy to send a note also! If it isn't too late please send me a few seeds.
Joann

Love the pictures! Love the story!

I've never asked for seeds before, so not sure what to do.

From the pics it looks like these are best grown in full sun.
Does anyone have any experience growing them in part shade?
Ron

ronald---I grew mine the west side of the house, where it gets alot of afternoon sun and heat from reflecting off the house.. But no sun until about 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I'm sure they do best in full sun. Hope this helps.
Duane

Hey, has everyone seen this map? I found it via a link from another thread in the Florida forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yvonne's Salvia Distribution Map

I would love to have some of these seeds if anyone has any to share. Thank you!
Andrea

mmqchdygg...
That map is only a "sketch" of where the seeds have landed! Some recipients didn't know about it, and others just chose not to put a tag on it. This is the third year I have been doing this, and both years I sent out around 100 different packages. Furthest away? Australia!!

One of my "projects" was to put tags (anonymously) on all the locations where I send them, but, I never got around to it!

Here's a link to another group that has formed...it's slow moving, but occasionally people write in with their failures and successes.

Emily

Here is a link that might be useful: Yvonne's Salvia group

Emily: I have seen the map and it is impressive! I didn't see a link to it from the Yahoo group. If there were a link to it, maybe more people would add their tags?

Karen

Duane
Thanks.
I will try them in full sun & part shade.
Ron

Karen,
Thanks for the suggestion! I have done that just now...added a link to the site.
Emily

I would LOVE to have just a few of those seeds. Please let me know if that is possible. What a lovely story and what a kind way of expanding Yvonne's love of salvia across the US-neat, neat idea!

I am awaiting my seeds. I would like to post a tag as I don't see any in Tennessee. This is such a tribute to Yvonne and Sam! I have a space waiting that gets full sun. I will be happy if they are only half the size of Yvonne's, hers are so wonderful. Thank you Emily, for you generosity and diligence in getting the seeds to so many people.

I would love to grow these seeds in my area (Maryland). If they are still available, please send me info for a SABE.

Dreamer1961
Maryland, 7A

Just wanted to say I received my seeds and I can't wait for summer to come!!! Thanks and I'll take a picture when it grows and blooms!

As a newbie, I hadn't heard this wonderful story yet. Wow, what a gift to the gardeners of the world. I, too, would love to grow some of these and send a note to Yvonne. Anyone have a few seeds to spare? :o)

nightingalemom

Oh my, that is an awsome salvia, and a great story. If anyone has any seeds,for sase, I'd love to try some.Thanks
Dee

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/malolomatt/102_0255.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:432391}}

Has anyone wintersown their Yvonne's salvia yet this year? Emily was kind enough to send me some seeds and I shared those with a friend here in Cinti. Neither of us has sown them yet and we're very glad we haven't in light of this cold snap. I have 5 or 6 types of annual salvia seeds and haven't done any of them yet.

So, any advice on when to WS in zone 6, SW Ohio?

Karen

Karen: I haven't sown mine yet but not because of the cold, just because I'm behind on everything. You can go ahead and sow it anytime.

Karen,

I sowed mine on January 18th....no germination yet but don't expect it for a few more weeks possibly into May. Can't wait to see these blooming! Since the earwigs seem to love any Salvia seedlings I put out I plan on heavy artillary LOL! S. officinalis is the only one they have never nibbled...must be the sagey fragrance.

Thanks again Emily :D

Vera

I WS'd mine on 3/23 and had germination on 4/4 - now this was when we were in a stretch of 80+ days. The last couple of freezing nights I put them in the garage along with other annuals so not to lose them. I hope to have plenty of seed to share this fall. It is such a wonderful story and I will do my part to spread the seed around.....

Lynne

I sowed some of the seeds that I received for Y'vonne's salvia on March 3. I've had a pretty good germination so far with little seedlings about a half inch tall, some with second leaves already. I saved some seeds in case I did something stupid with these (like let 'em dry out or some such). I've been working all winter (with dh's help) on the bed where I plan to put them. It should be one of our richest by the time I move the babies out there.

The other day I was cruising our local "high class" nursery (most things are too expensive for me there...4-inch pots of herbs for $5 and up?!...but they DO have a great variety of plants so I check them out when making plans. I noticed a special "new" type of red sage they had - grows to over 4 feet high, it said. Hrm....do you suppose someone on the commercial side got hold of some of Y'vonne's seeds and decided to make some money? I've never seen red sage like that for sale before. They always have the "tall" that gets to about 24" and the dwarf but not very, very tall ones. Just got me wondering...

Hello!
I am new to this site and just read about Yvonne's salvia in Birds and Blooms magazine.

I would love to add Yvonne's beautiful salvia to my Colorado garden. Might anyone have any seed to spare?

Thanks!

Sara

Love seeing the pictures! Thought this might show more people how pretty.

Mine were 4 feet tall, but very pretty
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Karen, Cinti, Oh.

Here in shorter season cool spring MN- mine were very slow to grow- and bloom- and they did not reach the heights hoped for- although the still aroused comments from other salvia growers remarking on how large they were compared to their usual varieties.

Please- don't look at the weeds in the "path" behind, and all around I guess.. The dead stalk behind is a sunflower all done for the season- this was a late fall shot...
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Here they are with Rudebeckia Burpeii...
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Along with slower later appearance of blooms- very few seeds were collected- just enough for me to try again next year...

Julie

Can anyone report on whether hummingbirds feed on these salvias? I believe many of the S. splendens provide little nectar. This is a big, beautiful salvia with a wonderful story...it would be great if they are also hummer magnets!

Patrick: Yes, hummingbird magnets for sure!

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Karen

I would love to have some of those seeds for
Pinson, Al.
Jill

If someone still has some seeds, I would love to try them. Thanks, Donna

I received some seeds in this year's Cottage Garden swap and can't wait to grow them. It means even more to hear the original story and see all these pictures. And how cool is it that her seeds are in such demand, and plants are being grown all over the country ? What a lovely tribute to a fellow gardener.

Carol

For those still looking for seeds, I posted an offer yesterday on the WS exchange. See that post.

Karen

If I plant these, how can I be assured that the seed I will be passing on will actually be pure Yvonne's Salvia seed? I was going to grow one or two other kinds of salva and wouldn't they cross with these? As a matter of fact, I suppose there could have already been some people who planted this salvia close to another kind and what they passed on isn't actually Yvonne's Salvia. Or am I all wet? I just want to make sure that if I plant this I will do the best I can to try to preserve this particular strain. Any thoughts on this?

Hi everyone,

I received some of these seeds from Emily - thanks, Emily! - and I was wondering if I need to fertilize the plants and if so, how often? I am planning on wintersowing my seeds.

Thanks.

Evelyn (Bellarosa)

ambbutterfly: I don't know much about plant genetics, but my guess is that you are correct. I imagine that over generations certain charccteristics of the plant could be bred out of the strain.

However, Yvonne is now elderly and unable to garden. She passed a huge number of seeds on to Emily and asked her to distribute them to other gardeners to carry on the strain. If nobody grows them, the plant would just die off completely.

For the time being at least, a few of us fortunate novice home gardeners get to experience the fun of raising this wonderful plant. Hopefully, the strain will remain fairly true to it's parentage.

It is my guess that, because it is spreading by leaps and bounds (thanks, Yvonne and Emily!), that it is not too far away from the reach of some unscrupulous commercial grower who will make a fortune. (Not Yvonne's wish). I have sent out about 60 packs of seeds this year myself, and Emily more than that. There are also gardeners on the Yvonne's Salvia group distributing it. We all do our part.

Karen

Hi Emily! Happy Easter :)

I just fell upon this link and am so very amazed at the size of Yvonnes Salvia!!! Is it too late this year to request any seeds SASBE? Not sure if this is the correct way to go about asking.. but please do let me know. I'd love the opportunity to carry on the tradition of growing those beauties down here !

Thanks!