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Which salvias have runners?

16 years ago

I bought a couple pots of salvia at a Master Gardener sale today that were just labeled "Salvia - dark blue flowers - spreads by runners" It's just starting to come in the pots so it's hard to tell what it looks like. I assume it's something hardy in my zone (6). I can see where last years growth was cut off, a part of a stem that's about 1/2 inch across.

One of my guaraniticas is finally send up a little bit of green but it's too small to compare the leaves. What else has runners?

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Comments (3)

bluekitobsessed
16 years ago
I have very invasive salvia uliginosa: narrow bright green leaves to 1 ft high, sky blue flowers on very long stems up to 4 ft high. (FYI, I like the plant so I don't mind it spreading, but it would be very hard to confine.) I also have a guaranitica that seems to be sending out runners; unlike the others, it dies back in winter (zone 9). Chamaedryoides is sending out runners in my garden -- it's got very grey leaves with sky blue flowers. Chiapensis is expanding (not sure if they are technically runners) but it has hot pink flowers.
robinmi_gw
16 years ago
Just be aware that should you have the blue Salvia scutellarioides or Salvia procurrens, these, in a frost-free environment, can spread several metres in one season! Don't want to frighten you, just to let you know. (Easy to remove unwanted growth.)

Some guaraniticas, especially Argentine Skies, can be invasive. Uliginosa also, sometimes. Invasive red species include S. darcyi, and others, depending on your zone.

S. macrophylla can be a total thug in a frost-free climate.
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Wow Mikey, When you say well rooted , you mean well rooted(they were small shrubs!). I only hope I can send you enough to make you equally pleased with the exchange. Today is my birthday & it was a great one. I must say the chamedroides was about 4x the size of a certain well known mail order nursery at which I paid $11 for a plant that didn't overwinter. They are eternal optimists with their zones. I told Ginny Hunt that I really appreciated her more conservative numbers. I'd rather bring it in than lose my investment! Yes at $11 plus shipping, it could be considered an investment, lol. I really liked the way you used tape & closing the box to keep the plants from sliding around, were you an engineer before you retired? Thank you again & again ! You made my day! Rose
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This sounds almost like a Plectranthus, especially ecklonii. The cup or calyx must be present, if only small. Salvias usually have a distinct, if small, calyx. Calyxes on Plectranthus are frequently minuscule. Plectranthus ecklonii at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/plectranecklon.htm Here is a link that might be useful: Plectranthus ecklonii at Annie's annuals
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Comments (18)
S. dombeyi would be the largest flower as far as Salvias are concerned. Jen, did you mean the inflorescence of 'Indigo Spires' when you measured 9"? The actual flower is quite small. The inflorescence can grow to be as long as 3 feet plus. Here's my S 'Indigo Spires' planted among the penstemon: (click on pic for larger image) One of my favorite Salvia flowers is that of glutinosa. The flower is about and inch and a half and there are many blooms on numerous inflorescences. The leaves are very large, too, and the whole plant is just gorgeous. (again, click on pic for larger image) Cait
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Comments (11)
I can only speak for my garden in Walnut Creek, CA that was total adobe soil. Adobe is a very compact soil, hard as rocks in summer and sticky and dense in winter. Most Salvias are Mediterranean natives and grow in this soil - but more successfully on slopes. They can not tolerate wet feet. I grew more than 125 varieties of salvias under these conditions. Adobe is very fertile and requires no fertilization for most plants. Adobe mud will pull soles off of shoes when dried! Direct as well as reflected sun, summer temps in the 100's, and watering only when plants showed distress produced salvias that bloomed all summer and fall, seeded prolifically and lived for years and years. Can they be grown in the PNW? Sure with lots of fussing and experimentation to find the ones that will survive, but there are so many other beautiful plants that will be easier and more satisfying and I prefer to plant those. Life is too short and my garden is too big to seek plants that I know will not thrive.
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hybridsage
16 years ago
Christie:
Some forms of S. microphylla have runners S sinaloensis,the others mentioned above too. I have not seen S.chamaedryoides
run here in Texas.

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