Can I ask a favour? Could people post a photo of their salvia in situ - I'd really like to see how some of these favourites work with your other plants.
That said, my S. 'Amistad' photo doesn't show any other plants really, and I can't take a new one as it's too early! This was November last year.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Of the shrubby types, 'Lavender Dilly Dilly' stood out to me as particularly neat and floriferous blue one, with nice pale shiny leaves (cringe name though). I found 'Blue Note' a bit straggly and untidy. If I needed a red one, 'Royal Bumble' would be top of the list.
Herbaceous: 'Caradonna' is a lovely one, 'Amethyst' is also lovely and a nice change from the dark purple (they look great mingled together). S. verticillata 'Purple Rain' is excellent as it actually reliably re-blooms if you cut it back, unlike the nemorosa types.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
I love them all especially the salvia nemorosa white kind that are everywhere. They are good as the light fades and seem to go with all my other plants. Unlike some other salvias, they survive the winters without any bother
Another vote for caradonna here (see @Sheps photo above).. starts nice and early and gives a good splash of blue before my other salvias start.
Last year I loved Mystic Spires Blue - lovely lush foliage, really long lasting flowers and a magnet for bees and moths. I struggled to find it this spring though, and my cuttings failed last year (probably took them too late).
Of the shrubby types, 'Lavender Dilly Dilly' stood out to me as particularly neat and floriferous blue one, with nice pale shiny leaves (cringe name though).
I find that Lavender Dilly Dilly gets larger (taller and wider) than all my others over the course of a season, about a metre or so each way by late summer, but has quite stiff growth so it's not as floppy/sprawly as some of the others. It's very floriferous. For me it's mauvy-blue rather than true blue, but I appreciate that colour perception can be subjective.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I think expressing preferences is fine. The world would be a dull place if we all liked the same colours etc. Also pointing out things like thuggish tendencies, weak growth, sprawly habit etc which might be fine in some situations but not in others.
I like Dyson's Joy which is pale and deeper pink, it's just the white + bright strong colour that doesn't appeal to me. I appreciate that others like them.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@borgadr I have Mystic Spires, I have to grow it in a pot where it is shaded as it doesn't like the hot afternoon sun down here, I have mixed success with cuttings from it also but have two which seem to be ok. S. African Skies (hybrid of S. Chamelaeagnea and S. Scabra) not Ulignosa is one of my favourites.
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That said, my S. 'Amistad' photo doesn't show any other plants really, and I can't take a new one as it's too early! This was November last year.
Herbaceous: 'Caradonna' is a lovely one, 'Amethyst' is also lovely and a nice change from the dark purple (they look great mingled together). S. verticillata 'Purple Rain' is excellent as it actually reliably re-blooms if you cut it back, unlike the nemorosa types.
Last year I loved Mystic Spires Blue - lovely lush foliage, really long lasting flowers and a magnet for bees and moths. I struggled to find it this spring though, and my cuttings failed last year (probably took them too late).
S. African Skies (hybrid of S. Chamelaeagnea and S. Scabra) not Ulignosa is one of my favourites.