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littlepockets

Red Salvia

littlepockets
18 years ago

I have red salvia from seed that came from my grandmothers old homestead around the early 1900 era. It grows to 4-5' with small trumpet flowers up & down stalks, reseeds and very hardy. I don't believe it is a hybrid. Any one know the name?

Comments (8)

  • suze9
    18 years ago

    Could be Salvia coccinea -- hummingbird sage, Texas hummingbird sage, scarlet sage, lady in red. Marginal perennial in zones 7-8.

    On the other hand, it could also be S. greggii (sometimes referred to as autumn sage). Are your plants evergreen or semi-evergreen throughout the winter?

  • ginny12
    18 years ago

    Littlepockets, you might try the Annuals forum. No offense meant to everyone here but this forum is almost exclusively about vegetables and fruits--rarely anything about flowers or other ornamentals. I hope you find your answer, altho the above post sounds good. The only red salvias I have seen in contemporary or old magazines/catalogs are much shorter than your plant and are/were used for bedding out. But there may be red salvias I don't know about, that's for sure.

  • suze9
    18 years ago

    Ginny, whatever are you talking about? This forum is for the discussion of heirloom plants and ornamentals certainly do get discussed here on occasion when folks choose to do so. I've seen anything from bulbs to hollyhocks to dianthus being discussed. I'm waiting to hear back on the questions I asked, then I'll continue the conversation if littlepockets chooses to do so. Salvias happen to be an interest of mine, so I may very well be able to help littlepockets narrow it down. If not, I'll then refer them to the Salvia forum. Please keep in mind that just because you may not personally have an answer to a particular question doesn't mean that someone else that reads here won't.

  • ginny12
    18 years ago

    Suze9--There was no insult or complaint stated or implied. I was being descriptive. That is a fact of this forum and that is fine. It's very democratic--people post what they want. Just look at a few pages (or all of them) of this forum and you will see that most people post about vegs/fruits and rarely flowers. And there are very few replies to flower questions. The evidence is right there. I'm not complaining--just describing. I have been coming to this forum for several years and it has always been that way. That is the preference of people who use this forum.

  • suze9
    18 years ago

    That is the preference of people who use this forum.

    Look Ginny, you don't speak for me, and I use this forum.

    If you don't want to participate in ornamentals threads, then don't.

  • patricia_mi
    18 years ago

    Hi,
    I have been looking for someone who has actually grown the heirloom cockscomb of yesteryear! I have tried lots of the cockscomb seeds only to have little "paint brush" flowers come up? I mean the dark red/maroonish?? tall, full heads of cockscomb. Anyone out there have any to trade? Or any knowledge of a "known" place to order them from?
    Any information would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank You,
    patricia

  • patricia_mi
    18 years ago

    Yikes, sorry, I posted under the wrong person :(

  • gransfun
    13 years ago

    I noticed that most of these postings are as old as 2005. . . but would like to share the fact that I have the Heirloom Cockscomb, which grows to 5' in beds, somewhat smaller in containers. BEAUTIFUL! I hope to have seed to spare at the end of this growing season.

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