Super Salvias!

I got a black & blue off ebay last week i wanted ask you all ..when is it best to plant it out ??its only 5 inch high and not a lot of root,i have potted on but wasnt sure whether to leave to plant next spring?? x

 

If it were mine, Joolz, I'd probably keep it in an unheated cloche/ GH for the winter. Don't prune it though until next Spring. I think its a soft stemmed type - not a shrubby stem type. Am I right?

 

Im not sure jenny,im not familiar with salvias,ive got a blue queen i grew from seed this yr but thats small & bushy but when ive seen black & blue (maybe strongys posted pic) it looked large with lots of stemsx
I will keep it potted up in the greenhouse to be sure then

 

If it has large soft green leaves I would keep it in Joolz then,
jenny

 

Black and Blue is a borderline hardy Salvia. Treat it as Jenny suggests and you will be ok. For added insurance if it doesn't grow a great deal (root wise) between now and November, drop it into a larger pot before putting it to bed for the winter. This can be done without removing it from the existing pot.

 

Will do longk i will pop some straw in the larger pot space aswell,keep it snug like i do my bottlebrushes x

 

I just drop the pot into a larger pot with compost in. A large ceramic pot that I have removed tender bulbs from can hold several young plants keeping the roots frost free under cover.

 

My new Amistad is what I regard as a soft leaf and stem type. I think the guy at Dyson Nursery said that they die back and re emerge from below in the Spring. I'm going to leave it in situ and hope. We'll see how it gets on,
Jenny

 

Thanks longk,thats seems less hassle than my idea and after searching threads for 10 mins ive realised strongy posted a pic of Penstemon Electric Blue not salvia back & blue jenny

 

As an insurance have a poke around and remove a good meaty root section and place it in a seed tray with about 3mm of soil over it. Place in a warm spot (eg; windowsill). Worked very well on Black and Blue, and Amistad sounds similar.............

 

Thank you Keith.

 

I was just browsing through a website I use for seed occasionally and noticed they have a healthy collection of Salvia seed, starts on page 106 and carries on to page 108 ; http://www.plant-world-seeds.com/store/view_flowers?page=106

 

Lord knows why I haven't visited this site for a while as I've used them a few times in the past and been well happy. Thanks for the reminder Bilbo

 

Came across this site yesterday; particularly for Fuchsias, but they do sell a few nice Salvias as young plants too, good prices as well

http://www.otherfellow.co.uk/index.php

 

Salvia leucantha today-one of the last to flower, so useful for the Autumn border