Salvia koyamae: is a herbaceous ground cover from Japan with interesting leaves and pale yellow flowers in spring and autumn.
Salvia koyamae: is an interesting herbaceous groundcover.
Flowers: are pale yellow, falcate shaped with a long extended hood and a white stigma protruding from the center. The bottom lobes are the same colour, they are slightly reflexed down which really opens the throat area to allow bees and insects to enter the flower.
Flowers can appear both in spring and then again in autumn just before the plant begins to go down for winter. They are held in whorls of 4 flowers either side of the green square stem. These are clustered at the top of a small flower stem but held well above the foliage to attract passing insects.
Calyces: are green which shows off the yellow of the corolla beautifully, slightly hairy, well ribbed with pointed lobes. If the flowers are not pollinated, then the calyces will drop off when the flower has finished, but become a straw colour if there is the chance that any seed will develop.
Leaves: are a broad cordate triangular shape with a very tapered pointed tip, mid green in shady positions, but a grass green in sunny dappled shade. Veins are clearly seen with sawtooth crenulations around the edges.
Salvia koyamae: is an interesting groundcover that can be grown in a basket or in the ground under deciduous trees. It can either make a nice clump or can spread out along the ground with thick stems, filling that space beneath the tree without becoming a pest.
As this is a woodland plant, grow other similar small shrubs and perennials that enjoy similar growing conditions.
Salvia koyamae is winter dormant, but during the warmer months, it will enjoy extra watering if not mulched. Mulch with old leaf mold , sugarcane or other vegetative mulches that will break down over the season. Although this Salvia really enjoys dapple sun, it hates hot dry windy situations, preferring instead a mulched area between tree trunks.
In autumn/ winter, then the plant is preparing to go down for the winter months, remove old spent stems and leaves, tidy the plant.
In late winter and spring, when the new shoots are appearing, feed and mulch well to keep the root area cool during the hot dry summer season. Watch out for slugs and snails.
Propagation: usually by tip cuttings taken from new growth in spring and early summer. Don’t take cuttings in late summer or autumn as these rarely root.