Navajo Rose is one of mine. I was told that greggiis in California like some shade. Does the temperature really drop at night for you, or does it hang up there like it does for us in our subtropical humid nights in North Carolina?

The temps drop about 20º at night in the summer, but then, when it was 100º in the day it still means 80º at night. However, the evening cooling doesn't begin until at least 6 pm and many times later, so the 80º doesn't happen until 2-3 am. No humidity tho'. Mid-summer is when most plants go into an estivation/slow-down period... not the prettiest time in CA.

So, I guess I need to move those other Navajo Rose.

My Salvia greggiis suffer on those days during the summer that have highs around 90 - 100 and nights that do not get below 70 degrees. If we have a rapid drop off of temps transitioning to winter, most of the sages have little or wimpy blooms.

Best blooming occurs when we have day temps of 65 - 85 and night lows of 45 - 60 degrees. The last six to seven years, the stretch of days with these temps does not last long in either spring or autumn.

That's were we are now... with the ideal temps. Unfortunately, I didn't get the Salvias pruned this winter and the greggiis are getting old (11 yrs), so I'm not expecting anything outstanding. But I do have the new ones coming on... like the Navajo Rose, among others.

I hope your 11 year old greggiis have been layering themselves to form new root stalks, trunks, and systems. It is rare for a main trunk of a greggii to last 4 - 5 years for me with our soils in North Carolina. I'd love to see a 11 year old leader of any Salvia. It would be interesting to measure its caliper and study the density and other properties. Even a digital image of the base would be interesting.

No, they haven't layered, but seem to seed themselves a little. I can take some photos for you and some measurements if you like. I have greggiis, mirophylla, Marachino Cherry, leucantha, chamaedryoides, Forsskal's Sage, Indago Spires, involucrata -- maybe, and whatever this unknown one is. They were all put in the fall of 1997.

When I designed these gardens I knew that as I got older I wouldn't be able to do all the intensive gardening of the past. So I planned for short-lived perennials to grow near the small shrubs so that when the shrubs got huge the perennials would be gone. HAH! Nothing has died. I've had to pull-out every Salvia that has gotten buried in the Manzanita branches... and they still insist on surviving under all that growth.

I have made faithful trips to Lowe's, HD, and Wallmart looking for the Navajo series. Yesterday while cleaning a bed I discovered I have N. Pink (tag sill in soil). Pleased I was.

Hello westelle:
My Temperatures in Texas get to 100 and 80's at night
with humidity at 80%. I think your observation is correct
(About shade in the afternoon. My S.greggii's have no problem taking all day sun. The microphylla's need some
shade. I 'am growing Navajo Red which is just starting to flower it seems to prefer some afternon shade too and is thriving!