Anyone grown Mexican tula salvia for their flower bed?

Has anyone in zone 8 grown this plant
how tall and wide did it get after all summer in the ground..


what are your favorite salvias that are perennial and
do you have any that mostly stand fairly up ?

What size do most of your salvias reach in height and width

I know that different ones are different..but what have you grown and like
that is beautiful in bloom, takes the humidity and heat and part shade and part sun?

here is the one I am considering...but I am sure it grows 6 foot tall and wide here
due to mild winters..

excuse this past winter..coldest in 25 or 30 years..here..
in southern alabama..
sheridragonfly

That is beautiful!! I try not to grow non hardy salvias. But seems all the beautiful ones are non hardy for me :(

Oh, I love that purple! I haven't tried that one - but then even though we have been moved to zone 8, I doubt it would have survived this winter!! I have a few salvias, but I would have to check the names because I can't remember off the top of my head. Some have done well, others are still quite small, but all of mine are in full sun. I hope that at least some of them survived these temps............

"Santa Barbara" salvia is a grayish leaf, about 4-5 feet tall, and 3 feet wide. Blooms later in the season, and holds its blooms a long time.

My favorite is still Hot Lips ! I hope mine come back from this rough winter ! Hot lips will make you smile all summer, it gets as big as you let it grow. I usually have to cut mine back once in the summer, because of where it is and it shades other things.

I gave my hot lips a little trim just the other day....... ready for it to perk up!

Sheri, that looks a lot like what we call 'Black and Blue' salvia which I love. It is perennial here, or at least it HAS been. Let's hope this awful winter hasn't killed it. It spreads with underground runners, so I do have to keep it contained in the ground, but it's not difficult (not like mint). Thanks to my good MSG friends, I now have some Hot Lips salvia too, and love it. The hummingbirds and butterflies love both.

My black and blue survived neglect and a harsh winter

Im in 9a and my Mealy blue is just outstanding this year. It's 5 ft tall and about 4 ft wide. It gets about 5 hours of sun per day (East) and handled the winter well. My Autumn sage (greggii) is awesome. It's a quite woody sage and it is about 4 feet across and is more mounding than upright maybe 18" tall, 5hours sun. Lady in Red (coccinea) is really prolific, stays green all winter and comes up everywhere, shade or sun. Ive had some difficulty getting Black and Blue started here but it looks like Ive got it now. It has come back two winters in a row. I love those chartreuse leaves and black/blue blooms. I have the coral nymph, coccinea and it is not as rambunctious as the Lady in Red. Im starting azurea (Pitcher sage) and Mountain sage (regla) this year, will have to get back to you on those.

I cant find Mexican Tula. Can you provide a link?

That black and blue is really lovely with the contrast to those bright leaves!

Edited to say that I have that Autumn Sage (red) - mine is a young plant, but is really blooming well this year. It is about 18" tall, but probably only a foot or slightly over across. But it seems i am always bumping limbs off of it on accident. I really enjoy it and hope it continues to do well.



This message was edited Jun 3, 2014 9:02 AM

The branches are very easily broken. They are woody. I guess that is the reason.

I guess - but even the new growth breaks off so easily...... but it has a lovely bloom. I was recently cleaning in that bed and broke off several little stems. I stuck them all in a pot and hopefully I will have a few to share with others at our new roundup. I need to try to get that black and blue as well ... I like that contrast. I like the salvias - they are easy and provide blooms all season. Makes my butterflies, hummers and bees happy.

I have tried black and blue 3 times and lost it, everyone else says it grows like a weed. I have also tried Turks cap 3 times and lost it !

What is Mexican Tula?

Sandra I have both. Will share some with you.