Add some sparkle with Shrubby salvias

Late-season gems in vibrant shades – given the right conditions these plants have a surprisingly long flowering season and may even survive the winter, says Val Bourne

- Val Bourne

WITH 900 species, Salvia is an undeniably varied plant genus. But if it’s late-season sparkle that you seek, your best bet is those that are native to the Southern Hemisphere, which tend to flower better as the days start to shorten.

Bee-friendly, the blooms come in vibrant shades, their petals packed with pigment – a device that helps many plants cope with hot sunshine. Planted in borders, they glow in autumn’s crystal clear light, and can go on flowering until early winter. For me, they’ve often been the last flowers standing.

In their natural habitat these salvias are happy in rocky positions or open grassland – often aromatic, their foliage acts as a deterrent to grazing animals. Here in the UK, if you find them a sunny, well-drained position, many of the woodier salvias will come through the winter – unless it’s exceptionally wet or cold. The more free-draining your soil is, the hardier these shrubby salvias will prove to be. Once the new buds break in spring, just cut them back to the shoots, as you would a fuchsia.

A profusion of flowers

The one that has proved hardiest in my garden is S. microphylla, a semiwoody shrub with small flowers mainly in shades of pink, purple-pink or red – found in south-east Arizona as well as in mountainous areas of Mexico. One of the best is ‘Cerro Potosí’, a winner thanks to its robust habit and profusion of largelipped, bright pink blooms. Notable for its green foliage and dark calices, pink ‘Ribambelle’ is also good.

Then there’s S. greggii, a fellow Mexican native that should be hardy through most of the UK – although it has never proved so for me.