Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’: is a medium sized shrub, 1.2-1.5mH with long spires of mauve and white flowers  most of the year.

Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’ flowers for most of the year.

Flowers: small tubular flowers on a long flowering stem20-25cm long.The hood is a varying colour of mauve, furry with small hairs, with the tube and lower lobes being white. The 2 smaller side lobes being tucked in neatly beside the middle lobe. The middle lobe can be slightly split  and often pointing downwards.
All the flowers are facing the same direction- outwards, often towards the light.
The flowers are in simple whorls of 4 flowers , on either side of the square stem. there could be as many as 20 whorls of flowers on the flower stem.
Although ‘Phyllis Fancy’ needs cutting down each year, once she begins to flower in late winter, she will continue until cut down next year.If not cut down she would still continue to have some flowers on the shrub for the whole year.

Calyces: are a violet purple on the tips and often on the top lobes, being green on the lower lobes and beneath. Each lobe is well ribbed, pointed, with the top lobes being slightly flared upwards.
The flower stem is purple on the ribs and green between, so everything behind the flower stem looks purple.

Often ‘Meigan’s Magic’ is mistaken for ‘Phyllis Fancy’, but a defining feature, that can identify ‘Phyllis Fancy’ from ‘Meigan’s Magic’ are the easily seen pointed bracts at the very top of the flower stem.

Leaves: a mid to dark green, lanceolate in shape with a pointed tip. Leaves are well veined, soft crenulations around the edges with a slight roughness from the veins beneath.
The stem is very square and dark. The petioles are also dark, another defining identification feature.

‘Phyllis Fancy’ grows to form a mushroom shape with flowering stems on all parts of the shrub.
Grow in full sun, not fussed about the soil and although very hardy for summer heat and dry, will always appreciate a drink of water on those hot days. It will tolerate the winter cold and take  a mild frost.
A great shrub for the back of a large bed, or on a large corner where paths converge or to cover a fence or an ugly part of the garden.
Having flowers in winter, certainly provide for small birds, bees and moths which love visiting this shrub.

Maintenance: In winter, anytime from May to July/ August, the shrub must be cut down to the ground. This helps to revitalise the shrub which will begin to shoot from the base and be back in flower in late winter/ early spring.
If any of the stems grow too long, encroaching on other plants or overhang a path too much, these can be either cut back to the base or just  clipped.  It will clip quite well along side a path, providing the central part of the plant is allows to flower.

Propagation: Tip cuttings are easily taken at any time of year.