Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ Plant Profile

Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ Plant Profile

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' is a tender perennial salvia. It has bright-green foliage and brilliant blue flowers with purple-black calyces. Digital photos don’t do it justice, it is a true-blue that really is striking to see in-person in the late summer to early autumn garden.

It is also known as the Anise-scented sage 'Black and Blue' and the Brazilian Anise Sage 'Black and Blue'. The Latin names were previously Salvia caerulea and Salvia melanocalyx.

Butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators love its tubular flowers. 

The leaves are fragrant and deer do not bother it.

It grows best in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. It will flop if planted in too much shade. It grows 2 to 5 feet high and wide.

Deadhead the spent flowers to encourage additional blooms. Otherwise, it is pretty low-maintenance.

It is hardy to USDA Zones 7 through 10 and can survive here in the Mid-Atlantic if we have a mild winter, but if you think we will have a hard winter, cut it back and pot up several plant divisions in the fall for overwintering in a sunny window.

Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio, text, and video/photos by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Christine Folivi

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Salvia nemorosa, Second Season in the Edible Garden, Sawfly Larvae, etc. in the July 2019 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine

The July 2019 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is now out.

It is posted online at:

https://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/washingtongardenerjuly2019-e

Inside this issue:

·         Year of the Salvia nemorosa

·         Second Season in the Edible Garden

·         Brookside Gardens Turns 50

·         Ethnobotany and Native Fly Poison

·         Identifying and Combating Sawfly Larvae

·         Reducing Maintenance with Evergreen Groundcovers

·         DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

·         Plants to Dye For

and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the August 2019 issue are due by August 5.

Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: http://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

Bloom Day Salvias

It is the 15th of the month, which means Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day again. To view links to other garden bloggers' blooms around the world to see what it blooming in their gardens today and to read their collective comments, go to http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/

Here is the Mid-Atlantic USA (USDA zone 7) on the DC-MD border, the past month had been cool and wet. Then summer came early (as usual). We have had a week of no rain hear and highs in the mid-90s! The plants are all suffering and I can hardly keep up with minimal watering just to keep things alive. My rain barrel is dry and I had to turn on my outside water hose for the first time.

This bloom day I decided to focus a few new Salvias (sages) that I added to my garden in the last year. Enjoy!

Salvia 'Brookside'

Salvia 'Purple Rain'

Salvia "Mesa Azure'

So what is blooming in YOUR garden today?

Salvia 'Black and Blue': You Can Grow That!

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'

This tender perennial salvia grows best in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. It has bright green foliage and brilliant blue flowers with black calyces. The iPhone photo above does not do it justice, it is a true-blue that really is striking in the late summer-early autumn garden.

Butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators love it. 

Deer do not bother it.

Deadhead the spent flowers to encourage additional blooms. Otherwise, it is pretty low-maintenance.

It can survive here in the Mid-Atlantic if we have a mild winter, but if you think we will have a hard winter, cut it back and pot up several plants in the fall for overwintering in a sunny window.

Garden Bloggers You Can Grow That! Day was started by C. L. Fornari of Whole Life Gardening because she believes “Gardening is one of the most life-affirming things we can do.…We need to thoroughly saturate people with the belief that plants and gardening are worth doing because of the benefits gained.” Garden bloggers who agree post about something worth growing on the fourth day of every month. Read this month’s You Can Grow That! posts.