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salvia advice

REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
in Plants
In a fit of greed, I quite a few several salvia plants from Hayloft a while back. (£1 each, Hard to resist when you have a thing for salvias...) They arrived as tiny (1 inch?) plugs. Some are now in the garden, some I gave to my elderly mother, but the rest,  I had thought  to over winter as small plants (some are half hardy, others are supposed to be fully hardy) until I am sure about where I want them to go. But, they have grown rather well. They are now about 29 inches high (from the foot of the pot) and too tall for the cold frame. They are in 7 inch pots and not root bound, I would say, although the roots are beginning to go round the inside of the pot.
Should I chop them back hard and put them in a cold frame when it gets cooler? (They are still flowering at the moment.) Or pot them on and put fleece over them? (Or just pot them on and hope for the best.)
Sorry... I am quite new to flowers...

Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I don't think the salvias are likely to put on a lot more root between now and spring. I wouldn't chop them. They seem like decent sized plants. The half-hardy ones I would bring inside if you can. Or fleece them as we get nearer to frost. The hardy ones should be fine if they are good sized plants. Keep a weather eye on the forecast. If night temps dip much past freezing - take extra steps to make sure the plants survive. If you do pot on the salvias and keep them outside, make sure to use a good whack of grit so that the plants aren't sitting in water. They are as likely to suffer from water-logging as cold. Prop the pots of chocs to allow for full drainage; move them to a sheltered, sunny spot for the winter. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There are different types, and some are tougher than others, so be guided by that, and also by where they originate, and that climate.
    Wet cold is a problem for them, which is why most of them don't survive here. Dry cold is easier. Protect small plants. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    You could just cut them back enough to fit in the coldframe , then come the Spring tidy them up before planting out later next year.
  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
    Thanks.

    I have an ancient one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quieting-Greenhouse-Transparent-Zippered-Outdoors/dp/B08JTVHDMY/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=greenhouse&qid=1603211582&sr=8-11

    Another option might be to put them on the bottom shelf (a grid) remove the one above it and get a plastic cover for it.

    I know one of them (Nachtvlinder - actually this one was a cutting, but similar in size to the Hayloft plants) is a bit delicate. So maybe bring that one into the unheated covered area down the side of the house. I stupidly planted another that is half hardy. I sup;pose I could take a cutting of that too..
    Am now wondering what happened to the Salvia sagittata x 'Blue Butterflies' I bought from SR. Can't find it anywhere :o
  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    @REMF33 I have Nachtvlinder in my garden and it's been in the ground for the past two winters without issue. In fact, it went mad seeding around last summer so I have numerous plants. I also have 'Icing Sugar' which spent 10 months, including last winter, in the pot I bought it in. It's now in the ground. I would say it's all down to where you live, the winter climate and how wet the ground becomes. I have free-draining, gravelly soil, for the most part.

    This link takes you to the advice page on the Dyson Salvias site and should give you a steer as to what to do. https://www.dysonsalvias.com/about/
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