Mine is now in flower, I have mine in a large pot in a shady spot as that is what it likes here, I have sown seed of Gesneriiflora 'Red Rambler', this is a sport of the normal ges and all red (calyx and flower), this plant appears to be coming into bud and doesnt look like a ges so will have to be patient and see what eventuates, I am getting a plant of the Red Rambler should be here next week and this will enable me to do a side by side comparison, the gesneriiflora and its cousins pubescens,sessei and regla all like the same conditions here, shady morning sun.

Cheers Annette

Hi Annette, thanks for this. This is about equivalent to flowering in April here so that seems about right. I note shade is OK with you but I assume your climate is much hotter and sunnier than mine? Do you have to give it buckets of water? I seem to need to water mine quite regularly in summer.

I particularly like the contrast between flower and calyx so probably wouldn't like the all-red version as much, but would be interested to see a pic in due course!

Yes lots of water, live in the tropics, lots of heat, humidity and rain during summer. I am curious to see the all red version, something different. I will post pics as soon as mine appears in flower. I havent met a salvia that I didnt like.

Cheers Annette

No, I wouldn't say I'd ever met a salvia that I positively disliked but some are a lot more interesting than others!! I have awful trouble with some of the ones I like the best because of my climate but I really do like this gesneriiflora and am so pleased it grows well for me and seems happy. I expect the all-red job is gorgeous but at the size they are I haven't got room for both so would prefer the one with the contrasting calyces (I also prefer ordinary S leucantha to 'Purple Velvet' for the same reason - maybe I'm just weird!).

I love the 2 toned leucantha, just reserving judgement I have just purchased the pink flowering and the white flowering leucanthas, the pink is in bud and ever since the pink is my favorite colour in salvias I have a feeling I am going to love it.

My Iodantha is in full flower at the moment, this is so beautiful, got right away from the subject oh well here is my iodantha.

Gosh, that's gorgeous. I did grow S iodantha once from seed but it didn't get to flowering size the first year and I lost it in one cold night that caught me out the following winter. Must try again!

I didn't even know there were pink and white forms of S leucantha - don't know if you can get them over here! I am a bit isolated so get mine mostly from seed, all the specialst nurseries that are likely to have these things are a long way away from me. Certain things seem to catch on and become available at non-specialist nurseries quickly, while others never do - it's odd!

This seems to be a duologue - guess nobody else grows S gesneriiflora! But I have discovered at least that it's extremely adaptable, if it will grow in a tropical climate and a cool, wet temperate one - wish they were all so user-friendly!

I grow gesneriiflora, but as I get more frost than Drusilla, I have to keep them in the greenhouse in winter. I have 3 forms...the species, with green calyces, Tequila, with black calyces (my favourite), and one recently collected in Mexico, which is supposed to be a compact form. It is not!!! Have not seen the flowers on this yet.

If you need some seed to try Drusilla just send me an email and I will send you some, just collected a few with its first bout of flowers during winter.

Robin: I've learned something from you as well, as mine is obviously 'Tequila' as it has the sexy black calyces - didn't know there was a green-calyx sort! Can't remember where I got it but most likely Yoke.

Annette: fantastic offer, yes please! (I wasn't hinting, but since you offer...!) I need to build up my collection again as it is quite low at the moment. I don't want to scrounge seed from people in the US because of not being able to send any back but I just might be able to send you something some time, since as far as I know it's OK to send seed to Oz. It's just a question of whether I can ever lay hands on anything you might not have!

My Salvia gesneraeflora 'Tequila' decided to start blooming again now... weird, as this was a winter bloomer. I am wondering if I have some sort of sport, because the calyces on mine are black & green bicolored. I have seen the green calyx form, also the mountain form (brownish calyx), and the 'Tequila' in the Oakland/ Lake Merritt garden has ALL black calyces. Thoughts?

I believe mine have the all black calyx coloration...I'll have to take a look in the a.m.,think it's still flowering a bit off and on, or at least it was last week. I'll check in the a.m.

I have 'Tequila' and the mountain form...Tequila is one of my favorites! When moving in to our house, we needed some quick screening from the neighbors. I threw a gnarly, chopped-off runt of a rootling into a hole, and a year later BOOM! 15 feet of scarlet glory!

We're in Oakland, California, where it's pretty warm, and not really frosty all all (Summers can have foggy mornings). It's in full sun, with a little irrigation, and I can't kill it with a stick!

A great plant for machete gardening - I chop it down to its knees in mid-Summer (brutal treatment after, say, the second week in August, seems to affect, if not cancel, the following Winter's bloom.) I could see a hard freeze in December putting off the bloom for that year. Uncut, it spurts a few flowers - often the kind of weeners that voodoobrew describes - until mid-Autumn. (better to whack it, I think)

Has anyone else tried the nectar? Fantastic!

Yes, I was stunned to see that the tree-sized Tequila plant had been chopped down to nothing this summer at the Lake Merritt garden, while it was still in full bloom! I would have been one mad hummingbird, haha. That would have been one great "free cuttings" party! I too have planted ges. plants all over the place... namely along a fence for privacy.