Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 12:29:19 -0700
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: [HUMNET-L] Salvia "experiments"

HUMNET -- although I claimed to have sworn off fiddling with new
Salvias, I was unable to resist all the new ones with hummer
potential (based on corolla morphology) offered by Richard Dufresne
on his visit here last Fall, nor some of the new ones at Naylor's
this spring. Although I've learned the hard way that those species
with small, blue-green leaves (presumably native to more arid areas)
have a really low chance of making it at my place (essentially a very
humid forest clearing) in July-August, those with big dark green
leaves (from more humid areas?) seem to stand a much better chance.
By this time of year, if they aren't going to make it through the
summer, they would have died by now (I hope). All were planted in
well-drained pots.

Dead or moribund:

S. littae
S. disjuncta
S. cinnabarina
S. cardinalis
S. tubifera

Still doing fine:

S. fulgens
S. pulchella
S. oppositiflora
S. darcyi
S. cyanea
S. holwayi
S. curtiflora

Anyone else along in humid Gulf lowlands have experience with these?

--
Van Remsen
najames@LSU.edu
LSU Museum of Natural Science
Foster Hall 119, LSU
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

================

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 12:26:41 -0700
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Salvia "experiments"

HUMNET -- two more promising Salvia that seemed fine a month ago are
now moribund (in pots), presumably the victims of humidity and fungus:

Salvia roemeriana
Salvia rubescens

Should I start at the website a roster of promising (in terms of
ornithophilic corolla morphology at least) Salvia that can't handle
Gulf coast heat/humidity regime?
--
Van Remsen
najames@LSU.edu
LSU Museum of Natural Science
Foster Hall 119, LSU
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

===================================

Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 13:11:06 -0500
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Salvia "experiments"
To: HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
Bcc: najames@lsu.edu

Van,

At 12:29 PM 7/30/2002 -0700, Van Remsen wrote:

>HUMNET -- although I claimed to have sworn off fiddling with new
>Salvias, I was unable to resist all the new ones with hummer
>potential (based on corolla morphology) offered by Richard Dufresne
>on his visit here last Fall, nor some of the new ones at Naylor's
>this spring.

Same here. I keep thinking we could stumble onto the next great
undiscovered hummer magnet. It is an expensive compulsion. Almost like
gambling. Exactly like gambling.

>Dead or moribund:
>
>S. littae

Gave up years ago.

>S. cinnabarina

I have two seemingly different types. One that is very lax is hanging [pun
intended] in there in a 6-inch plastic pot. The other type seems more
upright. It gets CPR almost daily.

>Still doing fine:
>
>S. pulchella

Struggling.

>S. oppositiflora

Ready to croak. Trampling by the d-o-g-s might be a factor.

>S. darcyi

Struggling.

>S. holwayi

Doing fine, but gets some d-o-g traffic.

Also, S. semiatrata seems to be thriving in full sun in a 12-inch clay pot.

S. sessei seems to be getting sunburn and is struggling a bit, but I think
it will make it.

S. cacaliaefolia is gasping for air.

S. mexicana 'Limelight' is also struggling.

Temperatures have been at or near 100ºF, 90+% humidity, and all the big
showers have passed us by. The sky is darkening right now and I don't want
to leave the house because I don't want to miss the big event, should it
occur!

NLN

***************************
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
<colibri@webdsi.com>
***************************