Salvia sylvestris
| Salvia sylvestris | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Salvia sylvestris (common name: balkan clary)
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: An easily grown plant[1], it prefers a sunny position and a well-drained soil[2][1], succeeding in dry soils[2]. Established plants are drought resistant[2].
Hardy to about -20°c[3].
If the plants are dead-headed after flowering they will normally flower again later in the summer[2]. Plants have stout stems and require little if any staking[1].
There are several named forms selected for their ornamental value[4].
This species is well suited to the wild garden, growing well in the summer meadow[1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].
Range: Europe to W. Asia.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, dry meadows and rough ground[3].Rocky slopes in steppes, fallow fields, sloping meadows and waste ground, 1000 - 2300 metres in Turkey[6].
Edibility: The aromatic leaves are used as an adulterant for sage as a food flavouring[7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Davis, Peter. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press, 1965.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.