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Salvia Verticillata - tall and airy?

NollieNollie Posts: 6,772
Does anyone grow this and can you tell me about it’s growth habit and how long is the flowering season?

I am looking for a relaxed, open style of purple salvia spike thats more ‘see-through’ than the nemorosa types and more tall and airy than the shrubby salvias. Would this fit the bill? 

Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.

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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,979
    Have you considered S. Amistad Nollie?
    It's certainly tall, mine get to between 5-7ft with deep purple flowers and dark stems. I've had them for 6-7 years. Most come back every year, but cuttings are very easy just in case
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,772
    Hi Pete, I do have Amistad, but the foliage is very lush and dense on mine...

    Sorry, should have specified how tall I meant by tall! Verticillata is variously quoted as low as 45cm and as high as 75cm. The latter, or up to a metre, which it may well get to here, would be perfect and it looks quite open and airy which is the look I want so you can see heleniums behind. Its so difficult to know, though, without seeing it in the flesh or hearing from people who grow it.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,979
    Oh right.
    Having had a good look through the salvias, Salvia Verticillata seems to be the airiest, with whorls of flowers up the stem, but the flowers look a bit of a muddy nondescript  colour - but maybe that's just my screen. 

    I've got a mix of helenium, heliopsis, verbena bonariensis and stipa gigantea that works well.
    There's such a huge range of salvias, I'm sure the right one is out there for you Nollie ;)
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,772
    I think you might be right that the colour of S. Verticillata might be a muddy, Pete, I just read that it is perfect for ‘bruised’ colour schemes.

    I am trying to restrict the number of different species in the border, as its already beginning to lack cohesion and I want to tie everything together more. Very Chelsea design speak! Verbena Bonariensis gets to 3m here, which is a tad on the tall side, but I am trialling some VB Lollipop this year in another part of the garden to see how tall that grows here.

    Appreciate your input, cheers.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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