Salvias everywhere

Salvia have become a stalwart in the garden. They like the free draining soil and the planting in the garden is still young and so the garden still gets a lot of light - nothing is so mature that it is dominant yet. My bit of experience is that they also enjoy some moisture as long as they don’t have to sit in it. There is a water loving Salvia (S. uliginosa or Bog Sage), but mine all prefer decent drainage. I love them for so many reasons - strong colours that glow but don’t jar, wonderful foliage smell and texture, long flowering duration for many (eg S. Royal Bumble’, S. ‘Mainacht’), late flowering from others (eg S. patens) that extends the season beautifully into late October. Pictured are S. forskaollii (blue) and S. involucrata ‘Bethellii’ (pink, oh and just realised that 'Royal Bumble is in the background!). In my garden they both survive in pots but would be equally happy in the ground - even the cracks in paving or in gravel for the S. forskaollii. In my sheltered, south western and slightly stony soil they are all hardy. Highly recommended!!