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One more Salvia regla question

wantonamara Z8 CenTex

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I have had 2 S. regla 'Jamie' for about 15 years. They were once 10 ' tall and glorious, but they have slowly shrank through die back and me trimming them to encourage new growth. They would rebound but never to what they were. This last 2 years they have not had a spring bloom and the fall bloom was pitiful. I wrote it up to some late freezes and very cold weather. But that never bothered them before. Is this old age? This year they are really small. They have new growth but I am reading the writing on the wall. I need new plants.

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rich_dufresne

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I'm not sure of what is happening. The Salvia regla Jame at the J C Raulston Arboretum is at least eight years old, and is in good garden soil on a level area. I don't think it is in limy soil.

The ones I collected the original seed from oin Jame were 30 feet tall and in a claylike soil, if I remember correctly. They were on the canyon side of a roadside. The trunks were made of fairly sturdy wood and had a caliper of about 3 - 4 inches. I suspect they were about 20 + years old.

The flowers were definitely much larger than those on the JCR plant.

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Comments (6)

CA Kate z9
8 years ago
Perhaps they are old, but maybe they just need separating into smaller clumps. Have you tried growing new plants from cuttings?
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author
8 years ago
The Salvia regla is not a clump but a woody shrub so it does not separate into slumps like you can with other salvias. I have grown from cuttings. I have other bushes started from cuttings. i was just wondering about these old bushes.
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anygreen
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Have you tried vitamins/fertilizer? I have extremely poor soil and even though I have read that most Salvia (nonnative) do not need fertilizer, it's just not the case for my soil. Have you checked for insect pests like scale or checked to see if the roots are rotten?
salvia86
8 years ago
Salvia regla Jame was collected on a roadside by a ravine with a steep slope and had perfect drainage. On the opposite was an apple orchard. I think the soil was a somewhat loamy clay.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author
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Mine is limestone marl on a slope with some oak leaf dirt. Not fertile.I have added granite sand and compost.

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