Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2001 22:32:26 -0700
From: ron <ron@NVWETLANDS.COM>To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Salvia

Terry,
Salvia iodantha was one of my favorites when I lived in Baton Rouge. It
grows fast - I could ge 6 footers in one summer, and blooms in time for
fall hummers - about October it starts and picks up steam in Nov. Mine
was always well used by hummers. I had a stand of it about 10 ft by 3 ft
that held several different winter hummers for a couple of weeks at a
stretch. Easy to start from cuttings. There were two varieties grown by
Baton Rouge humnetters. One we believed was the species (meaning, as
Terry knows, that this represents the wild form of the plant. Who knows
if we were right about that) and another form was around, named after a
person, I believe. don't remember who, I'm afraid. the biggest problem
was that it was marginally hardy in Batrn Rouge. Sometimes it would come
back after a cold winter, then not return after a milder one. In this
regard it is about on par with salvia mexicana, salvia coccinia, s. "van
houtei" and other half-hardies. It lived for years, however, in the
jungle-like yard of Lily Edwards in Baton Rouge. I guess lots of
evergreen cover and thick mulch are the secret there.

I think s, gesneraeflora is great, but it is even a little less hardy
than iodantha, at least in humid Louisiana winters. It also blooms a
little later, so is more of a risk of never blooming due to frosts
around Christmas time. It blooms in January through about April in
California and is great for hummers. It is another big one, reaching 6
or 8 feet in gardens, maybe more. A few Louisiana humnetters grow it, I
think.

Ron Rovansek
Reno, NV