Salvia gesneriiflora ‘Pink Parfait’: is a tall bushy shrub 2.5-3mH for dappled shade with large pale pink flowers.
Flowers: are long, tubular, with the hood and bottom lobes opened wide. The colour is a delicate pale pink with a prominent white stripe leading to the throat. Calyces are green which show off the pale pink corolla beautifully. Flowers appear late winter / spring, often well into the summer. These flowers often attracts little Spinebills and other small Honeyeaters which flit through the branches.
Leaves: are a broad ovate shape, midgreen, slightly hairy above, crenulations along the edges and mildly fragrant. Although the leaves appear opposite along the stems, often they have an unusual pairing formation at the top, especially when flowering. These pair of leaves don’t have axils for new shoots, so cuttings have to be taken further down the stem.
Salvia gesneriiflora ‘Pink Parfait’: is quite a bushy shrub, growing 2-3mH with spreading branches. Liking a sunny sheltered position among other shrubs. It is best grown either in the middle or background of a garden bed. A lovely sight when in flower, which adds a delicacy to the shrub. The pale pink adds a soft quality to the flowers.
Easy to grow in most soils, appreciating water in the summer heat. Mulch well to keep the root area cool which helps in the dry summers. Although cold hardy, this gorgeous shrub is frost tender, needing protection from other shrubs or deciduous trees.
Prune the large old stems down to 2 nodes. Either remove them completely or allow them to reshoot. Leave all new basal shoots to grow.
Easily propagated from tip cuttings.
