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tomncath

Salvia guaranitica "Black and Blue" - Thug?

tomncath
9 years ago

I purchased a few of these to put in the garden to attract hummers, I have read some negative reviews though that this one can take over and be rather invasive. For those of you here in Florida that have it can you share your experience with me please.

Tom

Comments (14)

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    9 years ago

    Not invasive for me, Tom, and I have two that both returned from the normal-for-us, freeze-back-to-the-roots. It may be a different case for those of you who do not have hard freezes. It gets about three feet tall at the tips and maybe around 2 1/2 feet wide at the very top. The blue is one of those close-to-purple blues. Very, very dark and deep purply-blue.

    EDIT: In the interest of fairness, I should add that these were new for me last year. So I am only on my second gardening season with them. Perhaps I will have a different answer next year or the year after? But they definitely do not reseed... and it did not take over anything like the lantana camara did... that had to go and I ripped out every single bit of it even though it was hardy and reliable... man, lantana camara will own a bed, LOL.

    Carol

    This post was edited by love_the_yard on Sun, May 25, 14 at 11:14

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    9 years ago

    I don't know if they would be called a thug lol but I do have several now (like 12) where there used to be two in the back yard a few yrs ago. Last summer, I planted a few out front and now there is 5. One is pretty far away from where I planted the others so perhaps it reseeded? I like them and I like the smell of the foliage as well so I don't mind. They don't seem to spread as bad as weeds.
    I have a red salvia that does reseed itself everywhere and even into flower pots and hitchhikes around the yard that way. Much more prolific than the Black and Blue one.

    ~SJN

  • hester_2009
    9 years ago

    Tom,
    I've had two in my planter boxes off my deck for two years and yes, they do reseed but easy to control. the best part is sitting with my coffee while hummers feed just three feet from me!
    You won't be dissapointed.
    Hester

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    9 years ago

    So that's two out of three so I guess they do reseed! Somewhere along the line, I thought I had read that B&B was a sterile hybrid but I'm sure I am wrong. Mine has not reseeded so far, but I will be happy when it does. Cool!

    Carol

  • tomncath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks folks, good enough for me, two go into the yard today and one in a planter :-)

    Tom

  • Tom
    9 years ago

    I have these plants and they are excellent for hummingbirds. They will reseed, but not aggressively. On the hummingbird forum they are considered possibly the number one salvia for hummingbirds.

    They will grow in lots of different light conditions, from fairly deep shade to full sun. Like most salvias they like well-drained, fairly rich soil, but will survive in many different soils. Clearly, if they are in full sun they will need a lot more water or they wilt.

  • tomncath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    ...Clearly, if they are in full sun they will need a lot more water or they wilt.

    Thanks Tom, one is in direct sun all day so I'll keep an eye on it, for now I've covered it with a tomato cage and small laundry hamper to prevent sunscald and wilt. The other is in filtered morning sun and shade in the afternoon, it is also covered for now since we're really not getting much cloud cover yet. The last one got potted up in a terra cotta pot and is in full shade, but the area is very bright due to sun reflecting off the adjacent concrete...I may just keep potting it up so I can move it around to see where it gives us the best hummer views.

    Tom

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    9 years ago

    Tom, you are pretty inventive, so what you have may be superior, but thought you might like to see the link to a shade cage, below. Yeah, a shade cage! That's what you call a tomato cage with a laundry basket on top. :)

    Carol

    Here is a link that might be useful: Easy Shade cage

    This post was edited by love_the_yard on Tue, May 27, 14 at 15:43

  • tomncath
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Carol, CYE.

    Tom

  • rene09
    9 years ago

    The roots run underground & come up, got rid of mine it was taking over the whole bed. It has a large root system. Cold kills it but it comes back from the root.

  • irma_stpete_10a
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    How are everyone's salvia guaranitica plants doing now?

    I have my first one, sitting in a pot of water, up on a table outside a sunny window. I thought I saw a hummingbird (would be the 2nd in 20 years - but same location) at it yesterday.



    11:30 a.m. 10-14-2020

  • Tom
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Your salvia is a black and blue or Amistad, Irma? It looks very healthy and salvias do attract hummingbirds. There should be some around your neighborhood this time of year. They might be migrating through.

    I have several types of salvias, but the one that is really starting to bloom now is the Salvia madrensis. It is one of the rare yellow salvias that blooms primarily in the fall. It gets very tall and I have to stake them or they fall over. They do spread--which in this case I like since they are so pretty and the hummers really like them.

  • irma_stpete_10a
    3 years ago

    Tom, that is so interesting that the hummers like the yellow... yellow is not a color mentioned in the hummer plants info I've seen on line. I bet the sulphurs go for it. Do the hummers go for any other yellow flower in your yard?


    Ball Floral Plant label says " Black & Blue" and "salvia guaranitica".


    I also bought a Vermillionaire "Large Firecracker Plant". Orange. Any experience with this?


  • Tom
    3 years ago

    Hey, Irma, the other yellow plant that hummers like is "Yellow Bells" or Tacoma Stans. It is a small tree with yellow flowers that blooms repeatedly in cycles. It should do well in your area. It might freeze some on top with a hard freeze, but it should come back in the spring.


    Black and Blue is a tried and true salvia that works well for hummers, although I have had better success with Amistad.


    I did not have much success with Vermillionaire. It grew for a while and then died off. I have had much better success with Cuphea Schumannii. It blooms repeatedly, is very hardy and the hummers really like it. It is a bit of a thug, however. It has come up in many places on my property.