Salvia ‘Mrs Bucket’ is a favourite for many of our group and does well in our subtropical climate. It was ‘found’ many years ago by a grower in southeast Queensland and named ‘Mrs Bucket’. However, it is generally believed to be the original ‘Meza Azure’ from the range of that name, released many years ago. Despite its heritage, we all enjoy growing it as it does well. Its light purple flowers are a highlight in the garden. Identifying microphylla type salvias can be extremely difficult and such a lot of seedlings have appeared over the years, there is much confusion. We are best to enjoy what grows well in our region.

Salvia ‘African Sky’ was imported from NZ in 2007. Its parents are thought to be Salvia scabra and Salvia chamelaeagnea. This variety has lovely mauve blue flowers and bright green foliage and is drought hardy and long flowering. It grows to about 1m  and does not frost.

Salvia ‘Amistad’ is called the friendship sage as ‘Amistad’ means friendship in Spanish. It was discovered by Rolando Uria at a plant sale in Argentina in 2005 and given to Robin Middleton in UK. Its glossy leaves resemble guaranitica but is a more compact plant with rich purple flowers. It will grow 1.5 to 2m and flowers continually in full sun or part shade. It is known to sucker but is easy to pull out. PBR

Salvia ‘Angel Wings’ is a microphylla seedling found in Debbie Percy’s garden in the South Burnett. This is a top salvia, small growing to 80cm with soft pink flowers.

Salvia ‘Anthony Parker’ is a very hardy variety, to 1.5m tall and wide. It has dark blue flowers and grey/green foliage. This is stunning in a perennial border, but it must be given plenty of room to reach its potential.  It flowers all summer and autumn. Prune back hard in winter. Salvia ‘Anthony Parker’ is a perennial hybrid from Salvia leucantha ‘Midnight’ and Salvia elegans. 

Salvia ‘Arabella’ is a seedling microphylla found in a member’s garden in Ormeau, on the northern Gold Coast. It is a compact plant, 50 – 60cm tall, with soft clear pinky mauve flowers all year round. The flowers are small but make up for that by the sheer number of them. It is a good front of border plant which can take some shade and makes a fine pot specimen.

Salvia caudata has lovely apple green foliage with indigo blue flowers in summer and autumn. It grows to 2m in sun to part shade. S. caudata was brought into Australia by Bob Cherry from Paradise Plants.

Salvia ‘Costa Rica Blue’ was imported by Diggers in 1997. A very quick growing plant to 2m, this variety has stunning purple blue flowers for much of the year. It may be related to Salvia guaranitica but is non-invasive. It will grow in sun or part shade.

Salvia ‘Cupie Doll’ is a microphylla seedling found in a member’s garden at Burpengary. It is a bicolour sport that was found on a plant of S. ‘Martine’ and so named because the flower resembles a cupie doll that you could get at a fair or local show. It is a strong grower that reaches approximately 70cm and flowers almost continually.

Salvia discolor is native to Peru. It has a silver underside to the green leaves, silver bracts and navy blue flowers and grows to 1m in sun/part shade. It is frost tender, prefers a well-drained site and is a great plant for pots.

Salvia dorisiana  is known as the fruit salad sage due to fruity fragrant of the foliage. It is native to Honduras, Central America. The beautiful pink flowers bloom from late winter into spring decorating the 1 to 2m sprawly bush.  It will spread in a warm climate but is not invasive. Even when not in flower, it is an attractive plant in the garden in sun to part shade.

Salvia ‘Ember’s Wish’ is a sister to the very popular ‘Wendy’s Wish’. This salvia has vibrant coral coloured flowers and grows to 1m. It flowers for much of the year, particularly during the warmer months. Sales of the three varieties in the Wish Collection support Make A Wish Australia with part proceeds used to fulfil wishes for children with life threatening medical conditions. ‘Ember’s Wish’ is named in loving memory of Emma and Brett Shegog.

Salvia ‘Finngrove’ was found in Arja Toivanen’s garden in Victoria in 2008 and named after her property. It’s thought to be a cross is S. namensis and S. africana. It has deeply indented light green crinkly leaves and mauve flowers that appear for most of the year. The foliage is very different from other salvias and provides interest throughout the year. Salvia ‘Finngrove’ is a compact shrub to about 1m and grows in sun or part shade. Like most of the salvias with African origins, it is drought and frost tolerant and has an interesting fragrance. It has been growing many southeast Queensland gardens, for many years.

Salvia ‘Follett’s Folly’ has grey leaves and coral pink flowers for many months.  Debbie Percy (Follett) named this seedling.  It is thought to be a seedling of Salvia karwinskii, however it flowers for a longer period. This plant is known as Salvia ‘Mystique’ in Victoria. It grows to 1.5m.

Salvia ‘Heatwave Blaze’ has deep red flowers, with blue undertones. PBR

‘Heatwave’ is a range of salvias introduced in Australia by PGA. Most grow to 80cm. Refer to The Perennial Poppies Group salvia booklet for more information.

Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ was distributed by Colourwise Nursery in 2002.  It is a microphylla type which has variations of red and white flowers at the same time and is a reliable long flowering plant. It will grow to 1m in sun/part shade. Sometimes it will revert to either white or red, however it will return to red and white flowers so don’t be concerned. 

Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ is a hybrid of Salvia longispicata and Salvia farinacea and was found growing in the Huntington Botanical Gardens in USA.   It is one of the best long flowering salvias and a must for all gardens. This salvia is a very showy plant with blue flowers that is best in sun. Massed plantings are impressive. It should survive average frosts as long as well drained and will grow to 1m.

Salvia iodantha is native to Mexico. A great plant for late autumn/winter flowering with large sprays of showy cerise flowers. It will grow to at least 3m. It is best to prune it in early summer, to avoid it getting too large and breaking if strong winds occur. Prefers sun/part shade and is considered hardy.

Salvia involucrata ‘Joan’ was named by Sue Templeton and is a variation of Salvia involucrata ‘Bethellii’. It has brighter pink flowers and is a prolific flowerer.  S. ‘Joan’ will bloom continuously and is clump forming to 1.5m.

Salvia leucantha is native to Central and eastern Mexico. The grey foliage makes this an attractive plant even when not in flower although it does have a long flowering period in the subtropics. It grows to l.5m and will clump and sucker but is not invasive. This salvia was commonly known as Mexican Sage until it was realised there are hundreds of Mexican sages.  Most leucanthas flower on and off throughout the year but in March/April/May they are more likely to be massed with flowers. There are several forms of this salvia listed here:

Salvia leucantha ‘Purple’, Salvia leucantha ‘Purple & White’,

Salvia leucantha ‘Midnight’ has deep purple flowers throughout the year. Cut it back hard after flowering and within 6 weeks another flowering will occur.

Salvia leucantha ‘Santa Barbara’ is supposed to be a dwarf form but can grow to just over 1m high, however it is still more compact than other leucantha. PBR.

Salvia leucantha ‘Velour Pink’ grows to 1m and has hot pink buds softening to a pale pink as they open.

Salvia leucantha ‘Velour White’ grows to 1m and has soft white buds and flowers. Both of these S. leucantha ‘Velour’ varieties are great for massed planting.

Salvia ‘Love and Wishes’ shares the same great characteristics of the other plants in the Wish Collection. It has a fantastic dome shaped habit, fast growing and dry tolerant. It is very long flowering with deep purple flowers for most of the year and grows to 1m in full sun or part shade. PBR.

Salvia madrensis is native to Mexico. It will grow to 2m and has multiple stalks that are prone to wind damage and suffer from frost. Lovely yellow flowers in autumn and winter are stunning. They will tolerate sun to part shade. If pruned back in January, it is possible to keep it more compact. It will spread rapidly and is drought tolerant.

Salvia ‘Magenta Magic’ is a hardy, long-flowering Tasmanian hybrid. It is a compact plant with magenta flowers that grows to 1m in sun or part shade.

Salvia ‘Marine Blue’ is similar to Salvia chamaedryoides which is more difficult to grow in the subtropics. ‘Marine Blue’ is more vigorous, longer flowering and has deeper blue flowers on grey foliage. It will grow to 80cm tall, is cold and drought hardy and prefers to be grown in the sun. It is often incorrectly labelled ‘Indigo Blue’.

Salvia ‘Meigan’s Magic’ is a seedling from Salvia ‘Anthony Parker’ found in South Australia. It grows to 1.5m, has pale mauve flowers with a purple calyx and flowers continually.

Salvia mexicana ‘Lime Calyx’ also known as ‘Limebracts’ and ‘Limelight’ is native to Mexico. This is a very attractive plant, growing to 1.5m with royal blue flowers and lime calyces for most of the year. It has obvious veins in its leaves.  

Salvia muirii is native to South Africa. It is a hardy evergreen long flowering small shrub with lavender blue flowers and grey foliage. It flowers continuously and can be clipped to form a compact mound. It is cold and drought hardy. S. muirii prefers a sunny spot.

Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’ is a longispicata x farinacea. It is similar to ‘Indigo Spires’ but growth is much more upright.  Has blue flowers for most of the year but gets woody so needs replacing every couple of years. Drought tolerant.

Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’ is a variation of S. ‘Waverly’ with bluer flowers. It is a 1.5m to 2m tall shrub that flowers continually with iridescent pale blue flowers that glow in the evening. Phyllis is drought tolerant and really is a must for the cottage garden.

Salvia ‘Pink Icicles’ was found in Brisbane and is an involucrata seedling. It is hardy and pale pastel pink flowers in winter/spring and will grow to 1.5m.

Salvia ‘Remy’ is a microphylla seedling that came up in a southeast Queensland garden in 2016. It was trialled for some time in both the ground and in a pot and proved to be an excellent plant. It is a watermelon colour and the dark bract had a slight flush of the flower colour. It grows to around 60-70cm tall with multiple flower heads and seems to be quite disease resistant and drought hardy. When the flowers finish, cut back by a third to bring it back into flower.

Salvia ‘Rosh Eden’ came up as a seedling in the Jenyns garden, ‘Rosh Eden’ in 2014. It was found when pruning a large bush of Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’ and it was assumed it was a seedling of hers. Upon closer inspection it was agreed that it looked more like a Salvia leucantha as the flowers resembled S. leucantha ‘Midnight’. After growing this plant for 6 years it has proved to be a strong vigorous plant that flowers for a much longer period than the other leucanthas in the garden. Like most salvias it likes a drier spot and will grow too vigorously if given more fertile conditions. It can be used as an edging plant instead of lavender. The growth habit is more like S. ‘Phyllis Fancy’ than S. leucantha as it doesn’t get the ‘trademark’ soft furry silver/white growth from the centre.

Salvia microphylla ‘San Carlos Festival’ is a brilliant plant, a favourite, that flowers on and off all year with rich pink flowers. It will sucker a little but is not a problem. Makes a good  feature plant as it is low growing and remains compact to 80cm.

Salvia wagneriana is native to South America. This is a winter flowering, frost tender,  pastel pink karwinskii type plant and grows to 2m. There is a salvia called ‘Excelsa’ in Australia that is a darker pink. In the USA it is called red wagneriana. Sue Templeton lists one as S, wagneriana (dark form).

Salvia ‘Waverly’ origins are unknown. This is a vigorous plant to just over 1m with mauve flowers most of year. It will layer but is not invasive and is a must in the cottage garden. S. Waverly will tolerate hard pruning.  Frost tender.

Another of the ‘Wish’ series, ‘Wendy’s Wish’ was released by PGA in 2008. It originated in Wendy Smith’s garden in Rosebud, Victoria. A percentage of the royalties goes to Make a Wish Foundation. It grows to 1m with burgundy pink flowers (like buchananii colour). This variety goes well in filtered light as well as full sun. It is not known exactly what its parentage is but it has been duplicated by crossing Salvia splendens and Salvia buchananii. PBR.   It’s a must for the cottage garden.