skip to main content

California Gardening

Salvia: Mystic spires

melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/

16 years ago

How does this salvia do in Sacramento or surrounding areas? Does it tolerate our winter rains? I planted one in a partial shade area (sun from ~11-3) and am just wondering if I can expect it to be successful. Other plants in the area include a dwarf bearss lime, two clematis (jackmanii), two star jasmine, sweet violet, baby tears, walking iris, calla lilies, and italian arum.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

gobluedjm 9/18 CA
16 years ago
I would think it would do ok. I have one new this year also and the tag says to 0 temp.
Heathen1
16 years ago
Yes, it does great here!
Related Discussions
Is salvia 'mystic spires' the same color as 'indigo spires'
Q
Comments (2)
They are the same color. However, Mystic Spires has a different form than Indigo Spires. Indigo is a far laxer, more sprawling plant which always needs staking. Mystic's form is like its other parent, farinacea, except bigger. Mine get about two to two and a half feet high and about eighteen inches wide. Also, the blooms of Mystic are like farinacea's in form. Indigo Spires blooms never seem to end. Mystic's do end, but retain their blue color even as they dry. I deadhead to keep them coming. I have had Mystic Spires for three years now and they are, hands down, my favorite salvia. They bloom early (already blooming here) and don't quit till frost. They never need staking, and bounce back very fast after cutting back. Although I always have a few that overwinter, I take cuttings in the late fall, just in case. They root easily. I overwinter them in my unheated basement under lights. Rarely lose even one.
...See More
Salvia 'Mystic Spires' - Summer heat report?
Q
Comments (8)
4" plants are usually fairly sturdy here, Westelle. We don't get the horrendous heat that you do in Fresno. I really wasn't saving them til fall planting. I had plans on planting them, but I've just been extremely lazy in the garden this year for some reason. I just don't seem to be able to make my mind up and spend more time procrastinating than doing any actual gardening/planting. Might not be a bad idea to stick them in gallon containers while I'm procrastinating. Maybe I'll procrastinate about that for a while......LOL
...See More
Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue'
Q
Comments (2)
Salvia Mystic Spires Blue (S. longispicata x farinacea) sounds like Indigo Spires to me. Do you know the source of this hybrid? It might be a new cross or some nursery might have simply rebranded Indigo Spires to enhance marketing potential. I've seen this go on with S. guaranitica. Indigo Spires does not set seed as far as I know, based on my own experience, the experience of a lot of botanic gardens and nurseries I visit, and any posts I've seen on the Salvia groups on Garden Web and Yahoo. If you are lucky enough to get seed, these will be F2 hybrids, which can vary all over the spectrum from one original parent to the other. See my thread "Saving seed of New World Sages" for your last question. It's on the second page of posts. Good luck! You will do better in a more Mediterranean climate than a subtropical one.
...See More
Belated Yard Tour 2015
Q
Comments (19)
"Thank you for the kind words folks. When I go out to outside with my critical eye, I can see lots of mistakes and/or problems. But for me gardening is one part creative oulet, two parts mental therapy and two parts physical therapy. If I start stressing about how each bed looks, I lose the mental therapy part." Michael, I think most of us here feel the same way about gardening. It is all about creating and nurturing something and losing yourself in the process. For me, it is a spiritual thing also. Love the wild petunia. It is really looking pretty. Silvia, thanks for your comments. You are too kind. I got out of the habit of coming here. I'm going to try to stick around more. I miss your posts and have learned sooooooo much from you. I still have a small veggie garden and always think of you when I have questions or when something is doing well. You are an incredible and generous teacher. Thanks for loving to give your knowledge!
...See More
wanda
16 years ago
Mystic spires is a dwarf version of Indigo Spires. I'll echo everyone else and say it should do fine.

wanda
melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/
Original Author
16 years ago
Good news then, I hope! I just bought one but I had some doubts as every salvia I've tried to grow (a couple different Greggii's, officinalis) has kicked the bucket. Maybe this will be my first success :-) I also ended up attempting to propagate it because a branch broke off when I planted it.
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
16 years ago
I just got one too. Nice plant. It looks like a compact version of Indigo Spires but it is not closely related--it is a cross of hardier salvias and is listed as hardy to zone 7

Here is a link that might be useful: diff between 'Indigo' and 'Mystic'
gobluedjm 9/18 CA
16 years ago
Thanks hoovb. That probably explains why my Indigo got killed by the freeze.
jenn
16 years ago
I think this may be the plant I've seen on my way home from work (from the car, about 20 feet away). The leaves appear to be the same color and shape as Indigo Spires, but the plant itself is about the same size as S. nemorosa. The spikes are huge! If this is Mystic Spires, I will definitely be seeking out this plant for fall planting.

I hope those of you who are trying it this year will report back on it in the fall. I'd like to know how it handles summer heat and if it retains its full appearance throughout the season.
melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/
Original Author
16 years ago
I can report back but I'm not worried about how it will handle summer--I'm worried about winter rains and whether it will be back each year :-)
toyon
16 years ago
It grows like a weed. Takes heat and a soil on the dry side after being established. Freezes to the ground, but comes back. Unfortunately the white flies killed the one I had. Hummingbirds love them.
jenn
16 years ago
toyon: So, basically it behaves just like Indigo Spires, but smaller.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Plants That Beat Butterfly Bush for the Wildlife Draw

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It's invasive, a nonnative and a poor insect magnet. Check out these better alternatives to butterfly bush in the garden

GARDENING GUIDES Attract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers

By Annie Thornton

Roll out a welcome mat for pollinators to keep your landscape in balance and thriving

EARTH DAY Create a Container Wildlife Habitat for Hummingbirds and Butterflies

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Don’t let limited space prevent you from welcoming wildlife into your garden

PLANTING IDEAS 5 Ways to Use Pastel Plantings in Contemporary Gardens

Learn how pink, lilac, lavender, cream and peach can bring a soft beauty to your landscape

GARDENING GUIDES Garden Color: How to Landscape With Purple

By LuAnn Brandsen

Abloom with just violets and plums or with energetic contrasting accents, a garden swathed in purple is a sight to behold

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE Roots of Style: Château Architecture Strides Through a Century

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Live like a lord with design details that recall French estates of old, even if they're scaled down and updated for today

PLANTING IDEAS Modern Planting Ideas From a Historic English Garden

Low-maintenance, climate-fitting plants are just the beginning of the good things in this bishop’s updated garden

SPRING GARDENING Great Design Plant: Russian Sage

By Annie Thornton

Silvery stems in winter and a haze of purple blooms in spring and summer make this spiky plant a year-round performer in the garden

GARDENING GUIDES See Winning Gardens From the 2015 Chelsea Flower Show

By Debra Prinzing

The popular annual London event showcases the best in garden design. Get inspired by these 2015 gold-medal winners

FLOWERS Lessons from Monet's Garden

See how to bring the impressionist painter's vision to life in your own landscape with these flower choices and garden design ideas

Sponsored

Kuhns Contracting, Inc.

26 Reviews

Central Ohio's Trusted Home Remodeler Specializing in Kitchens & Baths

More Discussions

Can I transplant a large plumeria to a different pot now, in November

0

pruning fig tree

2

Cercis occidentalis from seed collected today 2/14/24

5

What type of oak is this? zone 9b/10a SF East Bay

2

My California Rose Garden 2024

57