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In the Limelight
I may be the Queen of potted plants, but even I will eventually throw in the towel with pots. I'd had a Salvia mexicana 'Limelight' for several years in a pot. It just never did much. I think one year I actually had one blossom. Before I threw it away, I decided to plant it in one of my lavender beds figuring it would die. The plant took off growing and hasn't stopped. With the blossoms, it's over four feet tall.
Fluorescent lime calyxes with purple flowers. (photos by Karen Metz)
They take full sun and average to low water. They are hardy to the mid twenties. Some plants just seem to do better in the ground. So before you throw anything out , give it one last chance and plunk it in the ground. It might surprise you.
Salvia mexicana 'Limelight' plant.
Comments:
2.
I occasionally have 1 or 2 annuals that get left in a six pack and "forgotten", nut I always toss the "dirt" in my flower bed figuring it can only help., and I too have been pleasantly surprised by what decides to "show" up! Great picture!
3.
I love growing herbs Maybe flowering herbs could be a starting place like lavender or rosemary. They do well here. If space is an issue maybe you could garden vertically with a flowering vine: honeysuckle, trumpet vine, potato vine, or passionflower vine are all possibilities.
4.
Hi Patiz
I grow herbs. Most of them are in wine barrels.
5.
Karen, your Salvia mexicanna is beautiful. I saw this plant last year when I visited the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden on a field trip during one of Ken William's hort classes. There were a number of these salvias growing under a canopy of taller trees. The color is striking.
6.
Hi Libbey,
Just read your site. I have several herb plants: three kinds of mint, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, basil, mullein, lemon catnip,coriander,borage and natsturtiums.
What kind of herbs do you grow? I would like to grow more both in quanity and kind. I mistakenly used the wrong type of soil this past year, so I have to plant some again this spring.
7.
Karen,
What are some of the herb flowering plants that I can grow with an east/west gardening space? Don't flowering herbs need more sun exposure?
8.
Dear Patiz, I think it depends on the herbs. Lemon balm, or for even more drama, bee balm might do well. Sweet woodruff is another possibility, but it takes quite a bit of water. Nasturtiums seem to do well in sun or in shade. Karen
9.
I live in Melbourne and have Salvia Mexicana on the shady side of my house and its doing very well - so it doesn't need alot of sun either.
10.
Actually mine was growing in a spot that got some afternoon shade. Unfortunately we had a series of freezes this last winter and my Salvia Mexicana did not survive. I miss its exuberance, but think I will replace it with something more suited to the size of the flower bed. Maybe I can search out a different spot for with more room for another Limelight
Posted by PATIZ on December 3, 2011 at 3:38 PM