Thank you Rich for all the wonderful insight into collecting salvia seed. I was very fortunate to have 4 seeds germinate this spring from my Salvia Guaranitica Black and Blue that I purchased last year and grew in a container. Three look like the parent as far as foilage but I don't know what the flowers are going to look like. One has its first flower spike but they haven't opened yet. The calyx appears to be a greenish blue or greenish black. The fourth is a red flowering salvia. The flower buds aren't fully opened yet so I have no idea what it will turn out to be either.
Penny

Thanks so much for explaining this, Rich. The gynobase is exactly what throws off the newbie collector. I spent so much time trying to find seed in my San Carlos Festival & Black & Blue. Frequently I was left holding the gynobase & wondering if it could possibly be seed. I figured it out finally by looking at the seed of an easy seeder before it was ripe(coral nymph), by tearing open the calyx. This is truly the way to learn to collect Salvia seed! I'm so happy to finally have the name for the base. I wanted to post here to move this post up - so others can learn from your expertise. There was a great picture online that also explained it for me. I will list it below for the newbies & some oldies that may like the visuals. Ever since you mentioned the holes the bees make in the B & B calyces , I've seen light shining through them! Thanks again! Maybe your explanation would make a nice FAQ for this forum. It would certainly help the legions of new Salvia lovers!
Rose

Here is a link that might be useful: A primer on the mint family/ great site!

At least NOW I know WHAT to look for. Thanks Rich.

Thought this would be a good time to bump this up- seeing that there have been some questions about this lately.
Rose

This sure answered my question - now I know what I am looking for. Thanks so much for bumping this post up.

That explains what all the bumblebees are doing in the guarantica. I used to feel a little sorry for them because it appeared they were doing a lot of work for little or no return, since they were always landing at the base of the flower. I should have known better, or at least looked a little more carefully. Oh well, it's their garden too.

Bringing it up for Judy.

Thanks for this interesting info about the seeds. I'll be thinking of that for next year. What can I do to keep the Black and Blue Salvias I have right now?

I will truly appreciate any expert advice or good suggestions to help me save these 2 plants. I live about 90 minutes east of the St. Louis Arch, on the edge of zones 5 & 6. One person I know had hers come back this spring, but I don't think B&B are usually hardy here. Thank you in advance for your kind assistance. Gina

You could pot them up and put them in a sunny window. You could take cutting and root them for next year - again a sunny window, although not too sunny until the cuttings have rooted. Don't cut the stem of any plants left in the ground. They will gather water and freeze. Not everyone agrees about leaf mulch, but it works for me. I let the plants freeze then put a big pile of leaves on top. Some folks say this encourages vole damage, but I have voles, heck, everyone has voles, and my plants come through OK. And one last thing. If you're to have any hope of overwintering them your soil much be well drained.

Black and Blue salvias are perennials here in Texas, but they root so easily. Take cuttings and overwinter in a warm place.

Wanted to bump this up, since it was such a big help to me thought it might come in handy for others.

Many gardeners are collecting seed right now so this is a good time to bring this topic back up.

Penny

Hi, I am in Newport News, Virginia and have a very large black and blue. My question is about collecting seed. I see some calyxes (or whatever the plural is) on the plant that don't seem to have holes in them. Some are closed up and some are open at the top. None look dried out. I took one of the open ones off and it appears to have seed inside, but they are not ripe. How do I tell when the seed is ripe? Thanks in advance.

Becky

Becky when you look down into the open calyx the ripe seeds will be very black. the calyx will usually be much more open and will at least be starting to turn brown and somewhat dry also. Keep in mind that Black & Blue is notorious for cross pollinating and the plants may or may not come true to the parent depending on what other salvias have been grown nearby. I usually have a 20-30% chance of my seedlings coming true. Two years ago I had 1 out of 4 plants to come true. This year I had two plants out of 6 come true. Your best bet is to take cuttings of your existing plants if you want to insure that you have additional B%B salvias for next year. I collect the seed and sow it b/c I get a thrill out of seeing what will develop but I also take cuttings of my existing plants and even purchase new ones from time to time just to insure that I always have at least 2 or 3 true B&Bs.

I am sure Rich will offer more precise information for you on seed collecting.

Penny

Penny:

Thanks, that is the information I need. I have taken cuttings and have several B&Bs around the yard. My biggest one is the size of a shrub. I actually would love to have something new pop up. I have an "Argentina Skies" near the big B&B so it is possible they could have cross-pollinated.

I will check the plant in a few days to see if any of the seeds look ripe. Any idea on how long it takes between green seeds and ripe ones after the bloom has fallen off?

Becky

Becky,
Rich would know more about the timing from development to ripe than I would. Right now my seeds are not ripening as quickly since it has cooled down quite a bit and we have had lots of rain. Ealier on it seems like it was just a matter of days. They do take longer to ripen than coccineas do at least for me. I just go out on a daily basis and randomly check the calyxes that I can get to without disturbing the bees that have taken the plants over since my hummers left.

Penny

Giving this a bump for '07. Just the info I was looking for!

I agree. This is very helpful information for those of us who are learning to collect seeds.

I have a question about the seeds inside the calyx. If they are all not brown or black in color, will they eventually turn brown or black? I have opened a calyx in which one seed is brown and the rest of them are either cream color and/or somewhere in between. Will those turn brown later?

As long as the nascent seeds are beginning to turn from cream to tan, the ripening enzymatic processes have initiated and will continue, for the most part. Collecting seed in this stage of development is most advantageous if you are in the field with limited access to the plants, or just before a freeze.

I set these aside when cleaning seed because not all of them will continue to ripen, and they are usually weaker germinators. If they are much smaller or off-color, I'll save them as a separate lot and test their germination before offering them to others.