I have given up on planting chiapensis since I lose every plant I try anywhere in my gardens.

I am Inland San Diego and it does well with morning sun, afternoon shade. Blooms 10 months out of the year.

Okay thanks! I am keeping it in a pot, to move it around as needed....

It is not really its "tropicalness" that will give you potential problems up in Sacramento, but the fact that it probably does best with slightly cooler coastal conditions that more closely replicate its cloudforest origins in Chiapas State, Mexico. It will also be somewhat frost tender in a freeze. It does great in full sun for me here in Berkeley, and does bloom almost all year round here. I would second the suggestion of morning sun or dappled shade, or a large pot that isn't allowed to dry out. A nice flowering Salvia for bright shade as well.

Worth the effort to find the right spot, fabulous color and the hummingbirds love it. Mine is about 3 feet north of a masonry wall. I cut it back and it springs forth again, with more flowers than ever. I am near the coast with (lately) plenty of morning cloud cover.

This is one of my favorite Salvias. We grow one beneath a deciduous tree, one under an evergreen tree, and one in a large pot. We live inland and have hot summers (upper 90s with a week or so in the low 100s) and heavy clay soil.

They seem to like the dappled shade during the hotter months, because they thrive in those spots beneath the trees. Ours bloom all year.

The one beneath the deciduous tree gets regular water from the lawn sprinklers during the warmest months. It never looks unhappy. The one beneath the evergreen tree is nowhere near sprinklers so I sometimes forget to hand-water it, and it does droop when not regularly watered, even in the shade. The one in the pot does require regular water since it is in a pot on a south-facing front porch.

I recommend giving it regular water and not much sun if you live in a hot-summer zone, and give the leaves an occasional mist or sprinkle of water to mimic the "cloudforest" conditions it likes.

Here's the one that grows beneath the evergreen tree when it was still young..... it's a much larger bush now. You can see a small part of S. sinaloensis in the bottom-right corner.

{{gwi:532742}}

Jen

That's good to know, bahia... so I won't work overtime to keep it warm.... the color IS striking, so since I don't live in Fresno, I might possibly have a chance, hopefully! :) survived the winter alright, but I kept it indoors. I was afraid to chance it.

Jenn... you grow it outside all year round?

Yes, all year round. We do get frosts here but they are in spots that are sheltered and where frost doesn't occur, rather than the open areas of the yard where it does. It's not that tender and is one of the easiest plants we grow.

Ack! Remember our conversation concerning this pretty plant last fall, Heathen?? I do. And mine *sob* didn't make it! You were so smart to bring yours in. Mine got pushed up out of the ground by a gopher, then was promptly chewed up by slugs. How insulting! :D

I haven't given up on trying one in the future, though. Best of luck with yours!

Brenda

If it doesn't work in the ground, try it in a pot! This is a great Salvia for a large pot. Just be sure to keep it watered and not too much sun if you live in a hot climate. At the beach, it would be fine in full sun but still check it for water. It will let you know when it's thirsy by beginning to wilt, but it perks back up.

Yup, Brenda, I sure do! :o) I don't have gophers here... I WAS thinking of sinking a pot into the ground so that I could pop it up if frosts threatened or something...

Heathen, in zone 10 that is unnecessary. Just plant it in a decorative pot or in the ground. Unless it is in an open area in the coldest part of your yard, it should be fine. The tips might get burned but that is all. As I said above, this is one of our easiest plants.

I have a small yard with a pool... and the pool seems to prevent frosts! :o) But it's been so strange here, I have been afraid to put delicate plants in the ground, but if you say it's easy... then I'll take cuttings and spread it around! :D

Heathen, I can't get to my Salvia books right now but I found one on-line source that said it is hardy down to 20°. Does it get that cold in your zone 10 yard? It sure doesn't in ours. Even if you do have a frost, I don't think it will kill it.

One of ours, the one beneath the deciduous tree, is about 20 feet away from the driveway. One recent winter we had a hard frost with a layer of ice on the car. The S. chiapensis was untouched.

Try it in a few spots and see how they do. It's worth the try!

Westelle: I wonder what's the cause of the demise of your S. chiapensis. Not enough water? This one needs more water than most and the ones in the ground where they get regular water do the best. I'm sorry yours didn't make it.... that's so surprising to me since ours are fairly carefree except for their need for regular watering.

Jen

Jen... no... I don't even see frost in the yard, sometimes on the table when there's a frost warning. I live on the edge of zone 10a.
I think for Westelle, in Fresno, it might be just too hot?

I planted mine last year between a 'Hot Lips' and an indigo spires. Well, those 2 overgrew in a year and pretty much 'hid' my chiapensis sage. In Feb, I pulled it out and placed in where it gets morning sun only and lots of water. It recouped so quick and it has some of the most beautiful deep pink blooms Ive seen. So as long as you have mostly shade i would say (in a hot area) and water (misting is even better) you should be okay.

I LOVE my salvia chiapensis. It is planted in a parkway, where it survived my contractor's porta-potty's fall on it (kids knocked it over). I have three, and they receive almost full sun. It not only attracts hummingbirds, the flowers are sweet to eat (which is why I think the hummingbirds go for it!) I receive many compliments on it. I consider it a very well-mannered salvia - not too big (you just need to prune every once in awhile) and doesn't get woody. Wish more salvias were as well-mannered!