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Salvia Gesneriiflora Forms
All forms, are tall growing, approx 2.5 – 3mH. All like shade and a little water in the summer months. All are frost tender.
- Gesneriiflora spp
- G.’ Red Rambler
- ’G. ‘Tequila’
- G. ‘Coral Delight’
- G.’ ‘Pink Parfait
S. gesneriiflora and ‘Red Rambler’ form thicket style growth habits,while ‘Coral Delight’ and ‘Pink Parfait’ form dense shrubs and ‘Tequila’ has a spreading habit to 2m W if not pruned.
S. gesneriiflora spp.
- – tall to 2.5 -3mH, it grows tall and straight, forming a thicket style growth if allowed. Flowering from winter through to Christmas .
- Flowers: Long red flowers approx 5cm and green calyces.
- Lvs: are wide cordate shape, grass green colour and slightly hairy, veins are indented with a slight fragrance.
- It is best grown at the back of a bed by a fence or in the middle of a large garden bed. Although it will tolerate a sunny position it likes cool roots with mulch. Quite hardy in a shady situation once established. New growth will appear from the base
Salvia disermas (white)
S. gesneriiflora ‘Red Rambler’.
This is a tall upright shrub with a thicket style growth that has a more sentinel shape. It was found in Meg Bentley’s garden.
- Flowers: are red as in the species, same shape and size but they have a luminescence about them, the calyx is a brown colour. Flowering late Spring ( around November)
- Lvs: are a broad cordate shape, slightly hairy and a grass green colour, veins also indented.
- Best grown at the back of the garden bed, by a fence or in the middle of a large garden bed in a sunny sheltered position or a shady area. Although quite hardy once established, it does like the roots cooled by mulch and a little water in the summer heat.
S. gesneriiflora ‘Tequila’
- has the same red corolla as the species, but has nearly black calyces – actually they are brown with red hairs that give the calyx that really dark colour.
- Lvs: are broad cordate, slightly hairy, a grass green colour and indented veins. Purple / red hairs on the petioles.
- The growth habit is quite different from the others as it has a spreading habit with the ability of winding itself through other shrubs. It can be grown under or through a deciduous tree.
- It originated as a seedling at Sue Templeton’s and she sold it as S. gesneriiflora ‘Black Calyx’, but others saw it, compared it with the picture in Betsy Clebsch’s book and named it ‘Tequila’
S. gesneriiflora‘ Pink Parfait’
- An upright shrub to 3mH with a dense bushy habit of growth.
- Flowers are a light pink / colour with a clear white beeline on the lower lip. The same size and shape as the species, but with a green calyx.
- Lvs are broad cordate, slightly hairy with indented veins, hairy stems.
- Originating in Tasmania. Flowers in spring around Sept / Oct.
- Best grown in a shady/ sunny sheltered area at the back of the garden bed or in the middle of a large garden bed.
S. gesneriiflora ‘Coral Delight’
- Another upright shrub to 3mH with a dense bushy growth habit.
- Flowers are a good coral colour, same size and shape as species. They have a clear white beeline on the bottom lip.
- Lvs: are broad cordate, grass green colour, indented veins, hairy stems.
- Best planted at the rear of the garden bed or in the middle of a large garden bed. Prefers a shaded or sunny sheltered position.
- Originating in Meg’s garden.
S. gesneriiflora / fulgens etc there are similarities and differences between these 2 genera. S. fulgens (syn cardinalis – recognised as a form of) is characterised by the presence of 2 papillae at the base of the corolla tube, the inside of the corolla tube otherwise being clear and smooth apart from a pair of tiny staminodes half way along, and bracts that are twice the size of those of S.gesneriiflora. S. gesneriiflora presents no papillae, there are striations inside the corolla tube and its calyces are larger than those of S. fulgens
- S. ‘Red Dragon’ – a form of S. fulgens – origin New Zealand – with a very hairy corolla and very large bracts that drop off.
- This Salvia is a cool weather plant, it hates the summer months, hating the heat, the dry and often finding white fly and spider mite prevalent during these months.