Helena

Brenda

Robin Middleton had travel complications, and Pat McNeal had a business complication interfere with his plans. Luckily, Aaron Jenks and John Rembetski pinch hit with good talks.

All speakers gave excellent presentations, and I did not detect even a trace of disappointment in any of the attendees over the whole conference. Everyone was relaxed and energized. We left enthused for having a second meeting, perhaps as early as in two but more likely four or five years.

Along with visits to Betsy Clebsch's and Sandi Martin's gardens, and Yerba Buena Nursery, I stayed with Ginny Hunt and had the pleasure of seeing more sages in their splendor.

A visit later in the year would have had many more sages in bloom. Those that were blooming were quite showy for the most part. One of the best was Salvia curviflora, and another was surprisingly S. raymondii. Salvia squalens shows potential. Christian Froisart identified a really mice blue sage in Betsy Clebsch's garden as a cross of S. sagittata and S. macrophylla.

More later.

Sagittata x macrophylla very interesting. I may have a similar rampant, winter-flowering hybrid, extraordinary sagittate foliage, grey-green colour. Basal horizontal stems root along the ground.

Another new, un-named Salvia, which according to Christian is from sect. Siphonanthae, has resemblances to the above two, but with a large, almost double, lower lip. This is from Peru, and has not grown well here in this very unsettled summer.

Off-topic....but a comment about the beautiful Salvia stolonifera....keep this constantly humid, and away from hot sunshine!

Robin.