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Salvias of dubious hardiness.. when should they start sprouting shoots?

borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
in Plants
I left a lot of Salvias in the ground this winter, for the first time - at least 50 plants.  They are, I knew, prone to not surviving very wet or cold winters.  Here we've had neither - only very light frosts (and none at all most nights) and moderate rain (and virtually none in January).

So I'm hopeful.  I had mulched them heavily with manure, and only cut them back late Jan.  I just left a couple of inches of (slightly woody) stem sticking out of the ground.

The salvias in question are Salvia "Mystic Spires Blue" and Salvia farinacea "Victoria".  No sign of growth yet, unlike virtually all my other perennials.

Does anyone know when I should expect to see some shoots if they have survived, or by when I should be thinking of replacing them if nothing appears?
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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited March 2022
    They are both tender perennials, so they probably haven't survived, but you may be lucky with one or two.
    I grow S.farinacea now and then from seed, I can't recall any ever coming through winter.
    Both are usually grown as annuals.
    The RHS mentions that any amount of frost will kill them.

    PS I have S.Amistad that usually appears in late May - but last year the slugs ate all of them...

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    Thanks Peter.  Your climate up in Essex is I guess essentially the same as mine.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I would class S.farinacea as an annual, l've never managed to overwinter it in the SW UK.
    Not sure about Mystic Spires, but l suspect it's probably the same.
  • floraliesfloralies Posts: 2,718
    I grow Mystic Spires in a pot and put it in the unheated greenhouse over winter where it's fine and growing now, it doesn't like the hot afternoon sun down her so I give it dappled shade. S Farinacea I have left in the ground the last two winters but i think i may have lost it this time as it's been wet and cold, the one in a pot has been outside against a south facing wall and is growing strongly again.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    I have to lift my salvias because my soil gets very wet. I keep them in pots in an unheated greenhouse. They are JUST beginning to show growth, so I wouldn't expect anything from yours for some weeks yet. Don't give up on them, it has been a mild, dry winter and they may well survive.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They're all dubious here apart from S. caradonna. In an area with no, or very few frosts, and drier soil, they might be ok, but it could be hit and miss re the variety. It's wet cold they really can't cope with, but a mild frost [ie 1 or above] and with some protection would probably be fine for many of them.
    Not something we experience here. They'd all need overwintered, or cuttings taken, so I expect it would be as @Posy describes, although even in a greenhouse they'd not be up to much yet here. I don't grow them now - too much faff, and too many other plants that do as good a job in the garden.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    Update : a couple of these are showing new growth but most not

  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    Update : a couple of these are showing new growth but most not

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I find a mass of new shoots appear from below the soil, but not until mid-late May.
    Keep an eye out for slugs around that time.
    You shoot indicates the plant is still alive but the shoot may not survive, but that's not a problem. New shoots will appear from the soil in about 6 weeks.
    I lost all 5 of mine last year - every new shoot was munched. Usually they pull through the slug damage after a few weeks, but last year they didn't :(

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    Thanks @Pete.8 . I'll keep my eyes peeled, more out of curiosity to see what pulls through. 
    I do have a few cuttings in the greenhouse (the few that succeeded) and I've pre-ordered some plugs to fill the gaps.
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