salvia 'May Night'

I 'think' I have Salvia 'May NIght'. It was planted before I started keeping tract of scientific names of plants.
Right now, it is about 4 feet tall. I did not dead head it earlier this summer/fall. So, it is quite tall.

Does May Night get this tall? It bloomed and bloomed and bloomed this summer into fall. (why I didn't dead head it.)

I need to tend to it for winter. The stems are quite large. Is it okay to cut the stems down to about 6 inches? I don't want moisture to settle into the stems and then freeze and kill my plant. I don't think that would happen but wanted to check first.

from my experience with May Night, I don't think that's what you have, but we'll see what others say. I have May Night both at my house and at the town island garden that I maintain. I love May Night, and by deadheading I do get some blooms all summer, but if I don't deadhead, it pretty much stops. None of my plants has ever gotten close to 4' tall either, closer to 2'. And by fall, deadheading or not, a lot of the branches have turned brown and it's not looking too good. I'm trying to think what I do to prepare for winter, I think I cut it right down to about 6", because like I said it's not much to look at now. And it sends up new shoots in the spring.

Thanks, Cindy. I should take a picture. Maybe, I can do that tomorrow.

I just read on line one should cut May Night back to "2 to 3 inches and add a little mulch".

I also have May Night and it's never gotten to be even 2 feet. But do cut it back. The stems won't green up in the spring. At least not here in Maine. Maybe you have a buddlea? I wasn't able to quickly get a good picture in Plant Files. Maybe I'm spelling it wrong. Butterfly Bush is another name.

This message was edited Oct 29, 2013 3:02 PM

Las14, no it's not Buddelia! I have those and they get 10 feet tall!
This is a salvia. It has that classic bloom works from the bottom up.

It's raining today. I will take a picture of it before I cut it back. It won't look "nice" due to the freeze. But, just want to show it's height.

In my photo - blue ageratum on bottom left, blue "May Night" on the right. I guess it to be 3 feet tall. I am also in zone 6b. I just sat the pumpkin in beside the plants to take the pix. I liked the colors together.

I'll leave my "May Night' salvia alone until spring and it will come up from the base, then having left its foliage in place, I will know where and what it is. Then I may slip the shovel under it and easily relocate it.

Hope that helps.

Brenda, the Salvia, to me, looks like Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue'. Your picture is very pretty. Have you been dead heading the Salvia? Like the combo. Thanks for sharing your picture.

My Salvia has darker, more textured leaves.

Brenda, I agree with birder, I don't think your salvia is May night. Here's a photo of mine, actually had a hard time finding a good photo, because although I love the plant, it's not terribly attractive close up, so over the years I haven't taken many photos of it so you could see the leaves. In the second photo it's dead center along the bottom, just starting to grow. The leaves are lettucey. Don't be confused by that violet leaf in the first photo on the far right.

This message was edited Nov 3, 2013 8:30 AM

Yes - after doing a little more research, my blue salvia could be "Victoria Blue" . Anyhow I have bought several blue salvia over the years and they are somewhat of a tender perennial. Usually they come back from the base in early summer - late spring. I usually do not deadhead my blue salvia's. They especially like manure tea if I find time to brew some and give them a drink of the tea. This year I did NOT (for lack of time). No fertilizer either for 2013 - they were just on their own.

cindyeo - I have some Veronica (Speedwell) that looks a lot like foliage in your photo??? When I first looked at your photo's, I did not think blue salvia at all. I thought - speedwell or sage????? Sure looks healthy.

well, it looks healthy because that photo was taken in May. Later on they don't look as nice. I have Veronica Speedwell, too, and they are very similar, but I'm sure this is May night salvia. The speedwell blossoms quite a bit later for me, I'm not sure which variety I have but it doesn't start blooming until around July.

The first picture surely looks like Salvia 'May Night" I don't remember my plumes/racemes getting that long. It's pretty. I checked with Missouri Botanical. They report it gets 18 to 24 inches tall. Compact, a mint family member and smells slightly minty wihen leaves are crushed.

This is definitely May Night, usually not more than 12-18" in my garden. I don't do anything to it in the fall, just clean it up in the spring back to new growth, and deadhead after blooming if I get to it.

The color is a little washed out in this photo, must have been a bright Sunny day ;-)

Edited to add info

This message was edited Nov 4, 2013 2:42 PM

Here's my Salvia 'May Night'. Note, I did not dead head this summer.

1. The entire plant to see how tall it is.
2. The new leaves to perhaps ID.
3. A leaf to perhaps ID.

I'm going to stick to my opinion that you do not have May Night after seeing your photos. But regardless, your question was how to prepare it for winter. Since you have that photo of new leaves growing up from the ground, I would think it would be safe to cut right down to the ground.

I have to agree with cindyeo on both counts.

I have a salvia I really like that I've wondered about whether it's May Night or not. I deadheaded it frequently but it got to be about 2 feet tall. Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether it's May Night or something else? The pollinators loved it.

Cat: I think we need to post our plants on the ID forum.

I will do mine next year. I don't have any good pictures of it right now.

I do notice your leaves are lot more oblong than mine.

If you find out what Salvia you have, come back and post the Name of it here.

I will do the same.

Cat, I think yours is May Night

Thanks, Cindy.