Salvia superba hybrids: differ from Salvia nemorosa and Salvia pratensis
Superba :
- Basal leaf growth: producing a basal rosette of leaves before sending up flower stems.
- Stems: these are small/ short flower stems; 10cm, 20cm, 30cm or 40cmH. Stems can be branched or single, appearing shortly after the plant has produced the basal leafy clump.
- Leaves: these are all small/ short, elongated lanceolate with a short petiole, mostly slender, being mid green to a deeper green. Very fine lobes can be seen around the edges, but others e.g ‘Rubin’ and ‘Rose & Blue Marvel’ have scalloped lobes along the edges, as these are crosses but still regarded as a x superba.
- Only very small leaves appear on the stems beneath the flower head.
- Often after the main flowering period has finished, leaf growth appears at the end of stems. These leaves are small and pointed, seldom do they produce flowers.
- Flowers: are also a falcate type, but small, held in dense terminal spires, in whorls of 6 flowers, 3 flowers on either side of the stem. Each clump produces numerous flower stems, as these may be branched, many dense flowers heads appear per plant.
- There are often buds at the tip of the spire that don’t open until the bottom flower finish, which prolongs the flowering period. Flower heads being 10 – 15cmL. With ‘Rubin’ producing flowers 30cmH. These are held above the foliage to attract any passing bees or insects.
- Flowering time: Flowers appear a little later than the Nemorosa types, coming up quickly once the clump has formed, in mid to late spring. ‘Maynight’ being one of the earliest in October/ November. Most will be in flower around Christmas time, some beginning in early summer and continuing well into autumn, March/ April.
- Colours: blues, mauves, deep purples, whites and many shades of pink from very pale to cerise found in ‘Rubin’ and ‘Rose Marvel’. The colours are not enhanced with colourful bracts, but may have coloured calyces on the deep purple varieties.