Salvia elegans
| Salvia elegans | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Salvia elegans (common name: pineapple sage)
Propagation: Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse[1]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season[1].
Cultivation: Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a warm sunny position[1]. Prefers a rich soil[2]. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[1].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[1]. The top growth will be cut back to the ground in cold winters but, if the roots are given a good mulch in the autumn, plants will often survive the winter outdoors and resprout freely from the base in the spring[1].
There are some named varieties. 'Scarlet Pineapple' has leaves with a pineapple-like scent[3].
The flowers are very attractive to bees, providing a good source of nectar[4].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].
Range: Southern N. America - Mexico to Guatemala.
Edibility: The leaves have a pleasant scent of pineapple and can be used fresh or dried as a flavouring[3]. They are added to cold drinks and fruit salads, fresh leaves can be placed under sponge cake mixtures to give a subtle scent, whilst the fresh or dried leaves can be added to savoury dishes to give a sausage-like flavour[3][K].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.