Salvias have been the salvation of a few intractable areas in my garden. The native Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) has evolved into one of my favorite plants. It thrives in a mostly unirrigated area of my garden that is infested with soil borne nematodes. The nematodes have eaten the roots of virtually everything else I have tried there. I spent a great deal of time amending the soil and doubling the irrigation to grow vegetables – only to harvest about 3 tomatoes and watch the rest of the veg wither and die from the pests below. The salvias reseeded themselves into this space and are happily flowering away. I am glad something is enjoying all the soil amendments besides the nematodes. ‘Mystic Spires’ is the blue salvia in the arrangement, this one has been flowering in my garden since March 2021, the other one passed on this summer and this one is petering out, though I have no complaints about their performance. Surviving two Augusts in South Florida is an amazing achievement.
This is one of those dinner party vases. It looks great for a dinner party and fades a day or two later. I think the vase must have arrived with a floral arrangement at some point.
Closer views:
The salvias… Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) can be white, pink, salmon or neon orange. I have yet to see neon orange, but have all the other colors. Blue salvia is Mystic Spires.
The white flower is a vinca that reseeds from somewhere around my house. It has also done well in nematode land so I let it go. This is kind of a rangy plant, so I suspect it is a parent plant of all the cultivar vincas that got loose in Florida. I see these by the side of the road. Yellow flowers are from Thyrallis (Galpinia glauca) this is a shrub that used to be considered native but is now a foreigner. Sigh.
Thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Follow this link to see more vases: http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
A great vase. Salvia is the backbone of my garden also. I have the coccinea in just about every color. They have been with me for years and years reproducing on their own with the bonus being that animals don’t eat them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, the only bug here is mealy and I cut it off and they grow back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That Vinca is one that I am none too keen on. It is never overly impressive for us, and only rarely looks adequately good. We got a few of them this year (which was not my idea), and some rotted. I suspect that they prefer humid warmth. Here, they get either dry warmth, or occasionally, cool humidity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am pretty sure it is not that vinca. These are old, old varieties that have taken hold in Florida. The newer varieties are much shorter and denser and have tendencies to rot and get fungus. When used in ATL the beds had to be steam sterilized to get rid of whatever ailed them I can’t recall what.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So, those other sorts are difficult there also?! Well, it is nice to know that it is not my fault. Is the naturalized form an ancestor of the cultivated sort?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think so. Annual beds are not very common here. I am not crazy about Vinca so have not really looked for it. I think it is an ancestor, they get about 2 feet tall and are very stemmy, pink or white flowers with a red eye, will grow in straight sugar sand with no irrigation, really tough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hurrah for your salvias, especially with losing so many other plants in that area – what a glorious result from the varied salvias and how accommodating they are by reseeding themselves. The vinca is pretty with its pink centre too
LikeLiked by 1 person
The saying “right plant, right place” is SO true, the only difficulty being the difficulty of determining what the right plant is. You’ve had much greater success with Salvias than I have – I do best with those in the Salvia clevelandii or related native California species. The tropical varieties hailing from Central and South America hate my garden but ‘Mystic Spires’ does alright here too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
God is always in the details. I think Mystic Spires is one of those plants almost everyone can grow.
LikeLike
Such happy colors! Even if it only lasts a day or two, worth the effort, I’d say. Thank heaven for the mint family… critters leave them alone and the bees love the flowers, win-win!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, worthwhile, the salvias are history now but the Vinca looks great, who knew it was a good cut flower?
LikeLike
We used to get them when I was a florist (ages ago!). They do last well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Florist?! fun times?
LikeLike
When I was first married, I worked as a florist in Boston, and yes, I enjoyed the work, but it was SO busy and holidays were brutal. I still shudder on Valentine’s Day! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful! A lovely range of colours 🙂
LikeLike
Oh how lovely to see the salvias all together. I do admire your salvias Amy, especially the blue one. 😃
LikeLike