Collecting seeds from Salvia "Black and Blue"

I am having a tough time finding the seeds - I have tons of flowers and the bees are very busy around them, but I can't seem to find any seed pods?? I'm feeling real silly about this as I've collected seeds from alot of other plants before, but not having any luck with this one.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Anita

Anita, there's a chance that your plant is sterile. Since it's a named variety, it's a hybrid more than likely. If there were seeds, the resulting offspring won't look like the parent.

Just one of those things that we have to endure as gardeners. Plant companies breed a new hybrid plant and offer the seeds...knowing that you'll have to come back to them for fresh ones. By keeping their breeding programs under lock and key, it's hard to replicate their path to get the plant that thay are selling.

Lots of times hybrids will set seeds, and the next generation (F2) will display the traits of all of the parents involved.

It's like cats and kittens...say, you have a Siamese cat and a Manx cat...you want to breed cats that look like Siamese with no tails. You get a litter of kittens from your two cats, and of the 6, you have 2 that display the traits that you want...those are your 'hybrids'....but if you breed those two....you'll get all sorts of cats...from cats that look like full blooded Siamese to full blooded Manx....and everything in between. All of the genetic material gets shaken up and poured out in another form. That's the problem with planting saved hybrid seeds...you stand a slim chance of getting exactly the same look.

The seeds should be right where the flowers bloom. If you have no seed capsules forming, then your plant may be sterile...it's hard to get seeds from some types of salvias anyway. I'm not familiar with the variety that you mentioned, but it sounds like there may not be seeds.

Hi,
Salvia guaranitica "Black and Blue' is a selection of the species, not a hybrid (unlike Purple Majesty, which is), and will set seed if it has enough time to do so. Salvias do not form pods in the normal sense of the word, rather the seeds mature one to three or so in the calyx left behind when the flower falls off. That is the cup like thing at the base of the flower. Salvia seeds can be tricky to harvest--pull the calyx off too soon and the seed doesnt mature, or wait too long and the seed falls out. Best approach is to check each day, waiting until the seed darkens (usually the calyx will also turn brown). Lightly pinching the calyx will let you feel if seed is developing inside.
Good luck,
Ernie

Good to know that this variety is Open Pollinated...good seed saving instructions for finding the seeds...thanks.

Thanks Ernie!
I thought it may be hopeless (regarding trying to save the seeds). But thanks to your information, I can now try to save some seeds. :) After I brush up on my plant anatomy to make sure the calyx is what I think it is, lol.
~Gina

Do you think cutting off some of the spent flowers and placing in a paper bag would help? I've done that with some plants, waited a couple or more weeks for them to completely dry and then shook the bag. I've ended up with alot of seeds this way from another type of Salvia. I do the same thing with lavender.

good info - I'll have to check today when I get home. Thanks.