Salvias

[MightyMeerkat]

Hello. I had some beautiful salvias last year but this year there is no sign of growth and the base of the plant looks dead. Is it just too soon for them or could I have lost them to winter frost? I had some amistad, nemerosa and love and wishes varieties. Thanks!

Amistad may not have coped with the snow. I have ordered this one, as it is tougher.

www.sarahraven.com/flowers/plants/salvias/salvia-guaranitica-black-and-bloom.htm

Not really grown salvias before.

Salvias are a really large and varied group of plants. Some are tough as old boots and some are tender. I have one in my front garden ‘Icing sugar’, that has coped with the snow and ice no problem, a different one in the back which has completely died. You can fleece them to try to protect them over winter in the future.

I have amistad (who doesn’t?) and it is quite late to start back into growth. Also the fresh growth seems quite yummy for slugs. I protect mine with a copper ring. Give it a bit more time. Nemorosa should be starting to show soon, that really is pretty tough. Love and wishes may have succumbed, more to the wet than the cold. Can you dig that one out, pot it up, put it somewhere sheltered and see if you get any growth?

I've grown Amistad and Amante ( I think that's it)
None have survived in the ground but this year the ones I had in pots have

Amistad dies in the ground if left in over winter here (south east, Cambs). I bought them from Sarah Raven, so then I looked up what hardiness they called them and now I only buy plants they think are one degree hardi-er from them (if you get what I mean). They sell great plants but too expensive to replace everyday. Love and wishes stay in pots and over winter in our green house

Thank you everyone. I need to do more research before buying plants in future! Or start digging them up every autumn.

Or you could take cuttings as insurance! I am told they are ready to get to grow.

I took cuttings from Hot Lips and Pink Lips last year. They were very easy to strike. I hope they grow a lot bigger this year.

I had beautiful saliva in a pot on sheltered area by my back door where even a sweet pea is still going.

It's my first forary into them and yes, it looks dead!!

I have three salvia amistad from Sarah Raven - they’ve been in the garden two years, so survived one winter! This year, two of them look quite dead, and one has the tiniest of little leaves sprouting, so there is hope on that front. (Sunny border, South East). They flowered into December last year.

The three black and blue salvia I had outside in pots also look dead, but will keep them for the time being.

I’ll definitely be attempting cuttings of my salvia this year. Apparently it’s quite easy, and you don’t even need rooting powder.

Also, even tho we live in a mild part of the UK, and despite what it says on Sarah Raven website about leaving Dahlias in the ground, all of mine that I tried this with (because I never got round to digging them up) have died.

@OliviaRwhite I've found taking salvia cuttings quite easy and I'm a couple amateur (I've never bought a packet of rooting powder). I've got a lot of the regular red cuttings that over wintered in the greenhouse.

I tend to leave dahlias in pots and then drop the pots into borders - this may stop the tubers getting enormous though as I get nice flowers but never really big plants. Does make it easy to lift in autumn though. This winter we had a lot of rain where we are and while not a lot of frosts, I guess if you had the same the tubers may have rotted in the ground?

@didireallysaythat that’s encouraging that the cuttings take easily!

Yes, we do live on heavy clay, so the dahlias probably rotted with the wet weather. Maybe I’ll try some again next year.

I planted a salvia Hot Lips on a bank in my dad's garden last year as it kept getting too big for mine.

I thought it might not have made it as it looked like there was no growth on it last week but when I looked closely, there are green leaves sprouting out from the bottom. It lives to bloom another day!

Hot Lips does seem to get through the worst of the weather in winter, so it probably is one of the hardier versions.

What's your soil like, @OliviaRwhite?

I'm in the SE, too, and was hoping to leave dahlias in overwinter. We're on chalk, so the soil doesn't hold water, and a house round the corner has the most fabulous dahlias that are left in year round.

Where I live, we've had very few frosts (and those we had were very light) and haven't had snow settle for 10 years or so.

Maybe I could make them little duvets to keep them snug, or cover them with newspaper or something...

@lakielady we’re on very heavy clay. We got about two inches of snow this year, but none the previous winter that killed off the dahlias. That was a very wet winter tho, so that’s probably what did it.

My only salvia showing signs of life. The others still look very much dead! A bit worried about whether the new growth will survive the upcoming cold snap - it’s supposed to dip below zero for a few nights. What’s the best way to protect it (with stuff I might actually have at home)?

My salvia doesn't do anything until May, I have thought it dead at least twice but thankfully, I'm lazy and didn't tidy it away. I have Phylis Fancy which is glorious from September til first frost, I think it's a less hardy version than Armistad and I'm also Cambs.

Of course this year it probably will be dead now that I'm going to remember that it doesn't do anything for ages.

Have you got newspaper @OliviaRwhite If you scrunch that up and bundle it round, keep it together with clingfilm it will keep the frost off.

I have two, I think the hot lips variety. We cut them back this year as advised by friend with awesome salvias that return each year. It was the first time we've pruned them, they were massive and now both look dead apart from one tiny leaf each.

Previously a salvia has died in the snow in this spot, so I don't hold out much hope, but the "expert" friends on higher ground is still bare. They both had survived the last snowless winter and were spendid. Interestingly one I'd had in a pot for 5 years and I'm surprised that's better for frost protection.

@OliviaRwhite

My only salvia showing signs of life. The others still look very much dead! A bit worried about whether the new growth will survive the upcoming cold snap - it’s supposed to dip below zero for a few nights. What’s the best way to protect it (with stuff I might actually have at home)?

You could try wrapping the whole plant in bubble wrap, you would probably need to be quite generous. Take it off during the day and watch out for snails and slugs enjoying the shelter too!

Thank you @Enb76 and @viques! Newspaper and bubble wrap it is, and fingers crossed they survive this late frost. Now I realise why the person I saw in Wilkins few weeks ago was buying masses of horticultural fleece. Will be more prepared for next year, or take cuttings!

My salvia uliginosa looks very dead but I don’t actually know what it should look like at this time of year. It’s supposed to be hardy to -10

I tend to use the RHS site for info. There is says
Love and Wishes and Amistad are 3 which is - Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
Nemorosa is H7 - Hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Nemerosa caradonna is coming up ok, but Love and Wishes looks as dead a dodo. I lost a Love and Wishes last year too. They hate the wet; so frustrating as they are absolutely gorgeous.

@Shenadoah I over winter Love and Wishes in a greenhouse and usually buy a few more plugs this time of year. Never had the courage to plant them out directly