Salvia glabrescens ‘White’: A herbaceous perennial, from Asia, 20cmH, with hastate shaped leaves and trusses of white flowers in Autumn.
Salvia glabrescens ‘White’: is the white form of a normally blue flowered parent. ( see variety S.glabrescens).
Flowers: are a falcate type of flower. The hood is white, long, thick and blunt with a very long stigma protruding from between the 2 lobes. The 2 side lobes are straight and curled back to open the throat.
The middle lobe has the bottom half coloured pink, this forms a beeline and landing platform to guide the bees and other pollinating insects into the opened white throat.
Flowers are held trusses of simple whorls of 4 flowers around a green stem, found at regular intervals along the stem, this is held above the foliage to attract passing insects.
Flowering occurs in autumn just before the plant is ready to “go down” for the winter.
Calyces: are green and shiny, with a few clear hairs on pronounced ribs, all lobes are pointed. They remain green or slightly brownish after the flowers have fallen, staying on the stem.
Beneath each whorl is a pointed green bract that remains well after the flowers have opened, but eventually drops off.
Leaves: are a darkish green, smooth and trifoliate or a hastate shape. The middle lobe is broad and well veined, the 2 side lobes fan out into a hastate shape, are also well veined and pointed. These are held on long green petioles. They become yellow as they mature and get ready to die off.
Salvia glabrescens ‘White’: is a lovely little plant to have massed beneath a deciduous tree. When in flower, they make a lovely show with their white and pink flowers.
Plant with other small groundcovers or similar herbaceous plants, even other Salvias from the closely related S.nipponica varieties, all of which flower at about the same time in autumn, just before they “go down” for winter ( becoming dormant). They can be planted over winter/spring flowering bulbs which should grow and flower when the other is dormant or just beginning to emerge with the warmer temperatures.
Because of their size, this small Salvia is ideal for planting in pots, making quite a show in a dark blue or black ceramic pot.
As this Salvia would normally grow in a woodland situation, needing dappled sun or semi shade, then position the pot in a protected position out of the wind and out of the hot sun in the summer time.
When dormant, clear away old leaves and stems, mulch the crown and feed the area if bulbs are planted beneath.
In spring, feed , clear away any leaves from bulbs and top up the mulch. Keep an eye out for snails and slugs.
Propagation: tip cuttings can be taken from new shoots with 3-4 nodes of leaves . keep cool and protected from the sun. They should root quite easily.
Not always available
Also see the purple parent. S.glabrescens.