Salvia armistad

bertrand-mabel · September 2022

We had some cuttings for this Salvia earlier in the year. It did brilliantly and amazed us by flowering so quickly. The cuttings are all in the same pot and my question is....do we need to protect it over Winter? We read conflicting information about it being hardy and not being hardy. We would like to plant it out next year if we can. We live in Somerset. As always thank you for your advice.

JennyJ · September 2022

Hardy or not depends on your local climate and soil.

For me they've come through several winters, some in the ground and others in pots against the house walls under the eaves. I'm a good bit further north than you, but also further east which means we get significantly less rainfall than more westerly areas. And we have well-drained sandy pebbly soil which I'm sure helps. Many borderline-hardy plants fare better in the cold if their roots are on the dry side. Winter wet/waterlogging, they don't like.

bertrand-mabel · September 2022

@JennyJ Thank you. Our soil is heavy clay and with the dry summer the cracks you could put you hand down and then when we have much rain it is like plasticine. We could put the pot in the polytunnel over the winter. What do you think?

JennyJ · September 2022

Polytunnel sounds good. Check the compost from time to time and keep it just moist, then increase watering when they start to grow in spring.

If you want them in the ground for next summer you could plant out in spring and take cuttings to overwinter in pots next winter - when you have spares, you can take a try-it-and-see approach.

Loxley · September 2022

If you have a polytunnel, you might as well use it, but they're definitely going to be hardy in Somerset, unless there is some sort of freak arctic vortex. Mine have been in a pot at the end of the garden, unprotected, for a few years (in Nottingham). However if they're in the ground, they will often disappear due to slugs attacking them before they can get going in spring.

Obelixx · September 2022

I suggest you pot each of those cuttings up into its own pot and use a good lam-based compost such as John Innes no 3. Water well before and faterwards so the roots don't get a shock then keep them in a frost free place for the winter.

I have 2 of these in the ground in full sun and with low rainfall but even here they can be late to get going in spring so keep yours tucked up until mid May so that no late frosts can zap their new shoots and buds.

thevictorian · September 2022

In the mild winter last year they made it through ok but the top growth died off (they are better cut down in spring anyway). In the colder winter the year before, the ones I didn't move died. I live in norwich and our soil is very sandy so drains well but we did have the wettest winter in a hundred years.
I've read they take a few degrees under freezing and I think that's probably about right. Interestingly there is lots of conflicting info out there about cultivars. I've seen the black and blue cultivar described as being both hardier and less hardy than its parent plant and the newer pink kisses with wishes (think that's what's it called), a bit hardier than amistad, so I guess it depends which amistad cultivar you have. We have a red one which I overwinter in a unheated greenhouse and a plum purple (not the normal amistad purple which is the one that overwintered for us outside) which keeled over with only a hint of frost. I take cuttings of them all for security and overwinter them where it won't freeze.

bertrand-mabel · September 2022

Thank you all for the advice. We will take some more cuttings and keep them in the polytunnel over winter.

Salvia armistad

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