Salvia curviflora: is an elegant medium upright clumping shrub with perennial growth to 1.2-1.5m H in a sunny position with bright cerise flowers in spring.
Salvia curviflora: grows to about 1.2mH so forms a bright backdrop to any garden bed.
Flowers: are a bright cerise, long tubular flowers that are often curved. The hood is large, with a faint paler stripe down the centre which corresponds with a pale beeline patch around the throat area. The bottom lobes are curled back to allow easy access to the nectar by birds that have long beaks.
Flowers are held in small whorls of 4 flowers at regular intervals along a green stem. These flowering stems can be up to30cm long, held above the foliage to attract passing birds and bees. Buds are long and velvety.
Flowers can appear for extended periods, from late summer, early autumn right through to spring. Birds and bees love these flowers.
Calyces: are green, long with few ribs to show the lobes, which are long with short points.
Leaves: are long lanceolate shaped, thin textured, grass green with fine crenations along the margins. Leaves appear along the length of the stems.
Salvia curviflora: is a good clumping plant for under eaves of a building, tough, tolerant of dry shady conditions. Although it grows well in a sunny position, it also does very well in dappled shade. An easy plant to grow in most positions.
A good plant for the background or middle of a bed. As it’s very upright, it can make a good back ground to smaller plants. Plant with other white, purple and blue shrubs and perennials.
After most of the flowers have finished and new growth has appeared along the stems, then cut down the old stems, to neaten to promote the upcoming growth. Both birds and bees are seen through the flowers.
Propagation: is usually by tip cuttings taken at most times of the year.