What a delight! That is one gorgeous plant!

Brenda

The ethereal electric blue-violet of the bracts, calyxes, and floral stems and the white flowers is probably the inspiration for identifying the plant (Ska Maria Pastora) with the Blessed Virgin Mary by those natives baptized into Roman Catholicism.

This is the main reason I am continuing to grow the plant. Some day, I hope to see and photograph a good sized bush of it in all its glory.

Richard, for that bush in glory is necesary the help of nature.

In my garden unlikely in winter we have frost, and I think s. divinorum will not survive, but...

making an experiment, I leave out of the green house one s. divinorum in two weeks with temperatures at night of near 2ºC. I put it under an olmo who hadn´t lose the follage, and protect its from the .... (in spanish rocio, little cold watering at morning)

After the experiment the salvia was in perfect conditions, except for his flower cutted by some little enemy.

It´s interesting that temperature are not a fix condition for growing this plant, also depends of a lot of others conditions, if not I don´t understand why mine survive when some experienced people talk about 5ºC minimum.

Wow, those really are beautiful flowers. I had no idea s. divinorum was such a lovely plant.

Becky

I have heard that it can be as floriferous as S. leucantha and that the colors can be even more brilliant.

Rich:

I take it that zone 7 is not a prime location for growing s. divinorum. Otherwise I would be tempted to try one just to see those beautiful flowers. My leucantha is in its second season and coming on strong.

Becky

Winter is when it blooms. I have heard that it went into an awesome display in the Seattle area, and a friend in Orlando, Florida sent me a long shot of one that was striking. A friend at Duke University had some images from a plant in their greenhouses.

If you get a plant to grow robustly and see a spike start to form, do not shine light on it after dark. These are not poinsettias, but they are light sensitive.

My plant from a cutting is about 7 years old. It blooms every winter in the greenhouse, but gets quite leggy come spring time. At that time I cut it back to about 6" and let it start over again. It's never been "bushy" in the conditions that I grow it under, but it has reached about 7' in height...

Mike

Do those grow wild? I live on a lot of property and think I may have some growing, not sure though. Are these the only or one of the few breeds of Salvia with purple and white colors?

It has been planted by stream sides and seepages in the wild in Oaxaca by the local Mixe Indians. I don't think it can be found in the wild anymore.

Most sages have either lavender or white flowers, especially amongst old world species.