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becr_gw

B & B salvia & mulberry jam...how tall/ wide?

BecR
18 years ago

I am pretty new to salvia gardening. I keep hearing about the Black and Blue Salvia...finally I came upon some 1 gallon plants while shopping. Beautiful! I bet the hummers go wild! However, there was no info re the plant water/light requirements or height, width etc. Can someone please fill me in? I'm also interested in the Mulberry Jam salvia which someone mentioned in another post- these look well planted together w/ B & B, she said. I have never seen the MJam salvia, and have no idea how big it gets etc. Any info on these 2 varieties is greatly appreciated. Becky

Comments (9)

  • CA Kate z9
    18 years ago

    Mulberry Jam gets to be 3-4' tall and 4-6' wide depending on how much they lay around. They have very stiff canes that snap-off quite easily, so you need to be careful working around them. A mid-summer pruning helps keep them in bounds and then gives a better show for Sept. And, the Hummers LOVE them.

    So far I haven't had a lot of luck getting B&B to grow well here, but I put in some new plants last year that may get some size this year. I have the Mulberry Jams planted with S. leucanta and ground roses.

  • BecR
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks, Westelle, for the great info. Hmm-mm they get quite large...am scouting around my (small)yard to see where I could squeeze some in.

    Becky

  • CA Kate z9
    18 years ago

    Becky: if you're tight on room, you could use some sort of "caging" to keep them more upright, but, they're still going to get to be a BIG plant.

  • BecR
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks, Westelle. You saved me from making a big mistake. I will look for something smaller. It is to go in back of a rose bed, for pretty purple blooms poking up through some HT roses. I like Salvia Leucantha also (big though), and wonder if I can just keep trimming it to keep it within bounds, or if this is just another "pipedream" of mine. I don't mind height, just not too wide.

    Becky

  • CA Kate z9
    18 years ago

    standard S. leucantha blooms on the ends of 3' long canes and makes sort of a dome shape = 5-6' wide. I understand that there is now a smaller version, but haven't seen it for sale and don't know it's exact size.. Because of the way it blooms I'm not sure you can just prune it back and have a shorter blooming plant.. Maybe someone out there has experience doing this?????

    Perhaps one of the less full Salvias might be better, like one of the guaraniticas or a patens.

  • crlyn11mfdct
    17 years ago

    Hi Westelle ... I bought a mulberry jam salvia last fall in a big pot - found out my hummer absolutely loved it! I brought it in to overwinter on my sunporch. It has really grown wider and taller. I would like to know any planting information on this salvia as I put it out again. Can I do cuttings? If so where and how? And since I don't know if I can get another one here in CT until fall should I plant it in the garden or leave it in perhaps another bigger pot?
    Thanks for any help!
    Carol

  • CA Kate z9
    17 years ago

    You need to cut it back to the bottom 3-5 sets of new growth -- if you haven't already -- because it blooms on new growth.

    If you already have some new growth that is above what you are going to keep you can cut that off the debris and stick it in some potting soil. There are earlier threads that explain this quite well.

    You don't say what size pot you have it in, but I'd choose one that is big enough to: 1. fit the size of the plant so it it doesn't tip over; and, 2. big enough so that it looks nice.

    You can also put it in the ground in the Spring in CT; just make sure it has good drainage.

    Note: I was re-reading the threads above. I thought of a Salvia that is tall (3-6'), thin, multi-stemmed, sort of wispy, bright sky-blue, likes regular water and would look nice behind your roses: Salvia uliginosa, aka Bog Sage. It does spread on underground runners, but that might look nice behind your roses. Also, according to Betsy Clebsch S. uliginosa survives in Essex, England with winter mulching, so it might survive in your CT garden.

  • robinmi_gw
    17 years ago

    Has anyone else grown this delightful little Salvia from Turkey?

    In the UK, I grew this in a gritty compost, and kept it under cover throughout the winter. I have been rewarded with the most beautiful little plant, full of large pinky-blue flowers, complimented by greyish-green foliage. Stunning would seem to be a masterpiece of understatement!
    Hope to show another picture of this amazing Salvia on my site www.robinssalvias.com before long.

    Regards to you all....Robin...Spring seems to have arrived at last in England.

  • rich_dufresne
    17 years ago

    Robin, are you talking about S. canescens? It does not do so well in subtropical North Carolina. In alpine or Mediterranean climates, it makes a nice rock garden plant.

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