Little Salvia that Packs a Punch!

Salvia chamaedryoides                                                                                                                            S. Reeve

I love this little perennial! This is Salvia chamaedryoides a drought-tolerant perennial from Mexico. It is clothed in soft fuzzy aromatic silvery-gray foliage that mixes well with other arid land plants. After a time in full sun it comes in thick and low, about one foot tall, and chokes out weeds. Hummingbirds love it! It takes a couple of years to get growth like this in a bed. It will tolerate a little shade as it seems to be used to skirting taller plants. As perennials go it is unobtrusive and very attractive even when not in bloom, although, it seems to be in bloom all of the time. It is a good solid workhorse that does its job without shouting. The main blooming period is in the spring/summer for several months and it continues into the fall/winter, with another burst of blooms after the heat of the summer. The only time when blooms are less numerous is in the winter, but it still blooms. In the fall it can look a little rough when it is covered in old bloom stalks, but a quick haircut neatens it up in no time. Just grab a handful of what is sticking up into the air and cut it off. It is as simple as that. 

Bed of Salvia chamaedryoides with Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta' and Romneya coulteri                       S. Reeve

 This plant does root unfrequently at the nodes, but this is a good thing if you want it to spread. It is not a thug by any means, and as gardeners, we know a thug when we see one! If the plant goes where it is not desired you can quickly grab a hunk and trim it off. If you find an occasional rooted portion, yank it out of the ground and replant elsewhere if you desire. Salvia chamaedryoides roots shallowly and is effortless to pull out. It also roots easily if transplanted. For me, this is as close to a "no-brainer" plant as I can imagine.  Also if you have a handful of unrooted trimmings some will root if you just cover the lower nodes with soil, and give them a little water. I have a bed of this plant in full sun and it is around 6 feet by 6 feet in several years. Maintenance is as I described, trimming off spent bloom spikes and pruning back straggler edges. The spent bloom spikes are barely visible until there are many of them because they are a fine spike with no flowers. They become visible because they age to a straw color. The bloom spike is low and short and it blooms from the bottom up so there is an extended bloom period for each spike. Here is a photo.

Flower spikes of Salvia chamaedryoides

At one time I had one of the selections of Salvia chamaedryoides, but I think this is the straight species. The flowers are medium/dark true blue with two tiny nectar guides on the lower and upper parts of the corolla. It would be interesting to see this under ultraviolet lights to see what the pollinators see.

Salvia chamaedryoides in bloom with Aloe striata                                      S. Reeve

This plant is hardy to 20 degrees F. It combines well with pretty much everything. The orange edge of Aloe striata leaves and the orange of the Aloe bloom are a nice color complement to the deep blue blooms. I also like combinging is with clear yellow Argyranthemum frutescens 'Beauty Yellow', Acaulis tetraneuris, Agastache 'Arizona Sun' and Euryops pectinatus. Add in Salvia 'Fire Dancer' for some primary color action. Grasses like Festuca glauca would be nice too. There is a selection called 'Marine Blue' that is supposed to be superior, although, I wonder how it could be? It remains unknown but Salvia chamaedryoides 'Marine Blue' is suspected to the product of Salvia chamaedryoides and, possibly, another species. The flowers are a darker blue and the foliage looks greener to me. It comes in thicker and a little taller too. It is more frost tolerant to 10-15 degrees F. 

While generally easy-care this plant must have excellent drainage. It can certainly get by on very little water but looks much better with periodic water. I probably water around every 10 days. Even though it is technically hardy to freezes if it gets wet during the winter and the soil does not drain well this will take it out. Winter wet and cold are a lethal combination. I found no less than five "common names" for this plant so I will stick with Salvia chamaedryoides. Takes a few seconds to master the pronunciation, but at least we know what we are talking about. Because of the distinctive aromatic furry foliage, this plant is deer and rabbit proof. Look for this plant if you are tired of weeding and want a plant that combines well with everything. The hummingbirds will thank you!

Cheerful Little Presence in my Garden - Tagetes lemmonii x lucida 'Gold Medal'

This is a cheerful little plant that I bet you don't know about. In my garden, this has been blooming for months and is just now slowing down a little. Everybody knows Mexican Marigold or Tagetes lemmonii, the fall-blooming Southwest native, that gets about 4 feet tall and falls over. This is a nice plant but it can be too big and it has a short bloom season. There is a new cultivar Tagetes cross called Tagetes lemmonii x lucida 'Gold Medal'. This choice little gem doesn't get larger than 2 feet, and so far, for me, this little cushion of flowers is about 6 inches tall. This sterile cultivar flowers non-stop and hasn't grown in height. This is amazing to me! 

Tagetes lemmonii x lucida 'Gold Medal'

I am quite used to the bait-and-switch used by growers when they release supposedly compact-growing new plant cultivars that look great in the pot at the nursery only to get them home and see them take off in growth and become much, much taller. Not so with this plant, in fact, the label says 30-60 cms or 1-2 feet and it hasn't made a move towards this height. Some labels say only 30 cm in height, and that is what I am seeing. It seems to be putting all its energy into making flowers, which is a good thing. 

No deadheading required! After the flowers fade they disappear into the foliage to be replaced by a new round of buds. This plant is a blooming machine! What a cheerful presence in the garden. The information about this plant says it blooms from May to October. Apparently, my winter and spring blooming Tagetes 'Gold Medal' doesn't read as it has been blooming since the fall. 

I like the single flowers because bees and other pollinators can easily get their reward. 

Tagetes lemmonii x lucida 'Gold Medal'

This plant likes full sun and well-drained soil. My plant has a little shade and it still flowers well. It is just the cutest pincushion of flowers and it makes me happy when I see it. The foliage is lacy and medium green. I water it once a week with the hose. Information about this plant is scant and I cannot find the patent information. From what I can determine it is a cross between two perennial species, so I am hoping it is a longer-lived perennial. The foliage has the aromatic and medicinal smell of a marigold, that I find curious but not offensive, and the flowers have a light sweet fragrance. Deer and rabbits, however, find the fragrance unappetizing and leave the plant alone. The plant is not hardy or frost tolerant. 

This plant mixes well with Eremophila hygrophana, Festuca glauca, Agastache, small Agaves, Opuntia violacea var. santa-rita, Verbena de La Mina, and Salvia greggii 'Ignition Purple'.  This plant attracts beneficial insects and serves up nectar in an easy-to-find single flower. I want to make it easy for my pollinators to have a snack. I do not know who sells this plant, but I sure like it. It seems to like heat. If a smile was a plant it would be Tagetes x 'Gold Medal', it is guaranteed to brighten your day once you see it.