Here's another flower image and the leaves.

This sage should be marginally hardy for you, especially if you pick a good microclimate.

Maybe if I place it near the house, where the winter winds won't get it, and mulch it very well. Thanks for the encouragement, Richard!

Joseph

Aren't they beautiful? Mine are flowering now also. If I could take the time to stop and figure out posting pics, I could show you mine also. I have my mother plant growing in shade, but saw one not far from here, pretty similar conditions growing in full sun...whatdo you think?
Sherry

I have my plant in a container growing in the bald open sun, and it shows no ill effects from that position. Your sun is probably a bit more intense than Delaware sun although last week it was pretty hot and sun-intense here.

That's a beautiful salvia with beautiful leaves. One of my favorites.

That is very pretty plant Joseph.

Salvia cacaliifolia (Section Standleyana) is related to Salvia patens, S. subpatens, S. vitifolia, S. costaricensis, and S. mendax (Section Blakea). These two sections are also more remotely related to S. macrophylla, S. sagittata, S. scutellarioides, S. funckii, S. palaefolia, S. rumicifolia, and S. rhodostephana (Section Hastatae).

This last section has a lower chromosome base number (N = 9) rather than the much more common count of N = 11. All have the same pure medium blue color, except for S. rhodostephana which has a rose colored flower.

Beautiful! I used to have one, but it was the one and only Salvia of mine destroyed by a gopher. I'm definitely going to try again with protection.

Love that blue!

Brenda

Thanks, Helena, Sarah and Brenda, I can't wait to see how the plant grows and flowers over time. Sarah, is yours winter hardy in your garden? If so, what is your secret to keeping it alive?

Thanks for the taxonomic and phylogenetic data, Richard. What reference are you using, may I ask? I would enjoy reading that type of treatise to learn more about relatedness amongst the Salvia groups.

Joseph

The chromosome number info comes from the Salvia Project's Cytology Page. My reference is Carl Epling's A Revision of Salvia, Subgenus Calosphace Dahlem bei Berlin 1939. It is mostly in Latin.

Here is a link that might be useful: Salvia Project's Cytology Page

No I wish it were but it never came back. I had it near my screened in porch and near the basement step where the dryer vents still didn't winter over. But salvia guaranitica isn't hardy for me either. Just certain greggii's/microphylla's But I'm zone 6

I never considered overwintering it outside. It is one of the easier ones to keep going under lights. So Sarah, you could say that your sage lives on in my garden since the original cutting came from you. Am I wrong or do young cuttings take a really long time to reach blooming stage? Mine did last year, while the original cutting that was rooted the fall before quickly came into flower and bloomed well for months. My favorite thing about this sage is the leaves, they look is if they were created by a metal sculptor.