Salvia ‘Cecilia’ ( greggii x microphylla): is a small open subshrub to 60 cm H. with mid pink flowers most of the year.
Salvia ‘Cecilia’: looks very similar to ‘La Siesta’, with the same coloured flower and calyx but a different shaped leaf.
Flowers: are a lovely bright mid pink colour with the hood and side lobes being a slightly darker pink than the middle lobe. A white stripe on the hood corresponds to the prominent white beeline seen extending from the bottom lobe to the throat to guide the bees and insects into the flower.
Coming into flower in early spring, flowering will continue through out the year until pruned back at the end of autumn. Bees and insects enjoy these flowers during the flowering season.
Calyx: is a green / brown with crimson tones. Each lobe is ribbed and pointed. Flowers appear in clusters in pairs at the tip of a coloured stem, above the foliage to attract passing insects.
Leaves: are midgreen, oblong with a few crenations along the edge. Looking like a greggii type leaf. This is a distinctive feature for identification from the similar looking ‘La Siesta’, which has a more rounder typical microphylla type leaf.
Salvia ‘Cecilia’: is a lovely addition to any garden, providing lots of colour for most of the year. Plant either at the front of the bed or behind smaller groundcovers and perennials.
Grow with other white, bright blue, mauve and purple coloured perennials and small shrubs.
Loving a warm sunny position, flowering all through out the year, S. ‘Cecilia’ is a tough, hardy plant for the hot dry summer season, the winter cold whilst able to tolerate light frosts.
At the end of summer or autumn, when the plant may be looking a bit straggly or untidy, it’s time to clean out and cut away any dead or twiggy stems, cutting stems back to a good green bud.
This is the time to check the shape of the plant and reshape if necessary. When satisfied, feed and mulch well to keep the root area warm over winter, feed again in spring and check mulch to keep the root area cool during the hot summer season.
Propagation: Cuttings are easily taken from tip cuttings all through the year.