Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001 00:58:38 -0700
From: Nancy Tindle <nancy@SEMI-RETIRED.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in
the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: Salvia x gregii "Maraschino"

Peggy & HumNetters,
Salvia greggii X microphylla "Maraschino" is attractive to
hummingbirds, just like the two parent species. nothing got lost in the cross.
its nectar is very sweet, maybe the sweetest in my garden. i was
thinking of this plant last week when the sugar concentrations of various
hummer plants were posted. i was curious how it would compare. what's
funny is that even with the red flowers and very sweet nectar, it ran a decided
second place to S. guaranitica in terms of attractiveness when they were both in
bloom. it still has a place in my garden, though, since it starts blooming
for me a month or two before the guaranitica. with our cool summers, the greggis and microphyllas will start blooming in may... and keep going till
october. it doesn't get much better than that.

as a side note, "Maraschino" seemed to root easier than any of my other
salvias, even in a plain glass of water.

this is the blurb from the High Country Gardens catalog:
Salvia x Maraschino

Maraschino Bush Salvia

36" x 18' wide (cutting propagated) What a superb hybrid this has proven
itself to be! The luscious cherry colored flowers begin in early summer and
continue through fall until hard frost. A cross between S. microphylla and
S. greggii, Maraschino enjoys garden conditions with enriched, well-drained
soil and regular irrigation during hot, dry weather. Unlike most Salvia greggii varieties, Maraschino prefers afternoon shade in hotter climates. Although this is one of the most cold hardy bush Salvias (see description of Salvia "Furman's Red" for additional information), you will have fantastic garden performance in hot, humid climates too! Zones 6-10.

my only comment would be that i think that mine is more like 3 feet high and
wide, not 18 inches.

happy gardening,

nancy

nancy tindle
zone 8
portland, or

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

Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 10:14:38 -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] What Flowers Survived the Freeze

Hello Humnet,

>At 11:50 AM 1/26/2003 -0600 Gerald & Sharon Thomas wrote:
>
> >I have several greggi salvia that have survived so far
>
>That's interesting - in one spot in my yard virtually everything fried
>except the greggi which is still flowering, completely untouched.
>
>Lita Pinter
>New Orleans

Salvia greggi is very hardy and here, I've grown it for years. It is
evergreen and is shrub-like. It seeds around nicely, without being
invasive, so that every year I find a couple new little plants. It starts
flowering early in the season, as soon as things warm up a little, and if
deadheaded, will flower through the season. The hummers enjoy it, so I
consider it one of our basic humplants.

Lori Markoff
Vienna, VA
canyon.eagle@verizon.net
usda zone 7/6 (though hard to believe right now!)/Sunset 32