This sage is Salvia iodantha, probably the Louis Saso form. The Louis Saso form might be a hybrid. It is of garden origin in California.

Richard just beat me to it! I also suggest that this is Salvia iodantha, though the flowers on the Louis Saso form are usually more spaced out.

It is from Mexico, winter-flowering, for a greenhouse or conservatory.

Great pictures!

Robin.

California grower? I gotta get me some of these! Beautiful pictures.

Many thanks for a so fast identification.JPierre

I had one which Katrina killed, want to replace it. It sure is beautiful in flower.

Westelle, it looks like Annie's sells them, bless her heart. I want one, too! Absolutely stunning plant.

Brenda

Here is a link that might be useful: S. iodantha @ Annie's

Thanks, Brenda. I'm going to be in Richmond next week... not far from Annie's; I'll have to stop there to see if I can get a few plants.

OK.... so I went to Annie's and got 3 multi-stemmed, really healthy looking plants. What no one has mentioned, but is on Annie's info card for this Salvia is that one plant can get 6-8' tall and 6' wide! It's a good thing I have room for such monsters.

Uh oh, Westelle. Betsy Clebsch writes that it "grows robustly to 10 ft. or more in height." Yikes! I can just imagine how beautiful it will be, though. :)

Brenda

10' ?! We'll see if they even survive in this HOT, DRY summer climate. I guess I can handle 10', but I might have to rethink where I'm going to put them.

JPierre: how big did this get in your garden?

I've been to Betsy Clebsch's home on Skyline Drive up behind Stanford University and she can get fog off of the Pacific Ocean when the banks are particularly boistrous. It is a perfect location for most Salvias, not only Mexican, but Mediterranean and South African. I don't know how well the central Asian and Chinese ones do there, but they should also prosper.

In Fresno, make sure the Salvias get some shade, especially in mid day. Even xeric species like S. greggii like some shade in that Californian sub climate.

RIch: thanks for the FYI. Are you meaning specifically S. iodantha or Salvias in general?

Unfortunately there isn't a lot of mid-day shade in my yard. However, what Salvias I have seem to be doing alright as planted -- many for over 7 years. I do have good soil tho' and give supplimental water at least once a week in summer.

The sages that benefit most from shade are those with large, glossy leaves. The small leaved ones and those with wooly leaves are more acclimated for sunny areas.

Watering and humus in the soil are your best bets to control heat stress in most Salvias. Cool roots help with the Eurasian alpine and xeric ones. Use a large rock for shade.

Rocks I have. Sometimes I wish I had access to a tractor to move some of the larger ones. Are you talking about shading the roots/ground or the whole plant?

Shading the base of the plants to keep a cool root zone is an old trick of rock gardeners. Structures like this are part of scree plantings. Some plants also grow out of crevices in rock walls. These techniques work for small plants, but could be used for larger ones simply to cool the roots and slow down the loss of evaporation. The roots will work more efficiently under these conditions.

Hmmmm.... I think I'll do a little experimenting this summer. Thanks, Rich.