Salvia splendens.

Thanks for the quick reply, robinmi.
Do you know if 'Yvonne's' is simply a renaming of Salvia splendens or is it a genuine cultivar? Has it been registered?

I don't know, as I don't live in the USA. I had read that it was called "Yvonne's Salvia' at first, when the real name was not known. It seems to be identical to what we have in the UK as Salvia splendens 'Giant Form'. This is thought to be the genuine true species, which, in Brazil, can reach 3 metres in height. The small bedding forms, found in parks everywhere, have all been "created" by botanists looking for dwarf plants. If you look at my site www.robinssalvias.com there is a photo on the home page.

Robin.

sorry...on the "About ME" link on the home page.

Robin!
Wow-what a great site you have-- it's now bookmarked so I can give it the study it deserves. After seeing your S. splendens, I have a new appreciation for this plant...so very interesting that it's the original, instead of the horrid dwarf bedding types...
As an aside, that Salvia hintonii is to die for. Let's hope it appears in cultivation soon!

It came from a garden in New England, the gardener's name was Yvonne. It likely appeared as a seedling from one of the dwarf types since she had been growing it for years and back in those days you couldn't find a giant form of Splendens of any kind. A friend of hers named Emily kindly spread it around to all of us. Somewhere on the internet is a picture of Yvonne and her husband with the plants towering over them. Either they weren't tall folks or else their plants were taller than any examples I have ever grown. Yvonne and her husband died of very old age a few years ago.

There's a photo of Yvonne and her husband and her Salvia about halfway down the page on this link. I tried it once but it didn't thrive/grow as large for me down here in NC. If I run across it again I'll give it another try to see if it was just me or if it does better in New England.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yvonne and her salvia

It doesn't seem to like those hot and dry summers we've been seeing too much of recently. Last year my planting failed completely in the 2 month drought and I had to go begging for seeds from a friend.

Does anyone have seeds to share of Yvonne's salvia? I lost mine in a freeze a few years ago. Thanks