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Salvia Black and Blue - how hardy is it?

NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
in Plants
Saw some of these in a garden centre on Monday, hidden at the back of row upon row of boring bedding plants. Gorgeous, I was really tempted, even though I was looking and failing to find other stuff. Trying to control impulse buying but now regretting not snatching them up and wondering if they ares still there...

However, having looked it up, it says hardy to -5 and my winters can get lower than that. Has anyone successfully over-wintered it in the UK?
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Can't help with the hardiness but can you take cuttings just in case it doesn't survive?
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I've had several salvia Amistad in my garden for about 5 years now.
    Last winter the temps were -7c in my g/house, so probably lower outside and they came through that OK.
    The big problem I have with salvias is slugs eating the new shoots in spring

    Go for it, take lots of cuttings (very easy) and enjoy

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I haven't had any probs with my Bumbles getting eaten. Maybe some types are more enticing.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I have  black and Blue, it’s  not the same as Amistad, but it’s hardy in my garden, and the easiest of the Salvias to take cuttings. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Great, thanks everyone, having read your replies this morning I thought, I have to try it (I didn’t need much persuading!), so whizzed back to the GC and bought three. I haven’t really got into taking cuttings yet, did try with Verbena B. and failed, but will definitely try again with this one. At 6€ for a very bushy, well-developed 70cm high plant, not a massive loss if they don’t take.

    Info on this plant on the web is pretty contradictory on height - the printed plant label and Hayloft Plants say it only gets to 60cm high, most other sites say anything from 1 - 2.5 metres. What I am beginning to realise is that a warmer climate means more height. My Agastache Black Adder and many echinaceas have well overshot maximum stated height after less than a year, so will be interesting to see what these do. They are for the back of the border (actually Fire, I think it was you who originally suggested it as a dark foliage BoB plant but couldn’t find it at the time) so I hope they do get tall.

    Cheers, Nollie x
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It sounds like it will look amazing. I'm itching to see pics of it all. x
  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653
    Survived the last winter here in a large pot against a south facing wall - we had down to -8 at least with the beast from the east x2 
  • ju1i3ju1i3 Posts: 189
    That is a very tempting plant at the garden centre, I bought one on impulse a few weeks ago. Sadly I put it in the flowerbed until I had time to plant it and when I came across it a week or so ago it was stripped by slugs, literally bare stalks. It's recovering in intensive care (my kitchen table). Whatever you do try to protect it from slugs!
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Hi Fire, I did post a few in Hot Border Update thread, did you see those? Will do some more soon. 

    Thanks, that’s good to know Mark56 and Ju1i3. So far (I know I’m tempting fate saying this!) no slugs spotted so far, but snails do keep trying to get at my single Bishop dahlia - they had a bit of a munch but a thick ring of chunky gravel and nightly snail patrols are keeping them at bay.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Ah, I lose track.
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