‘Limelight’ sage looking great

Salvias are among my favorite perennials. I have many species all over the yard, and most of them are hardy in our zone 9b climate. However, as is so often the case, my favorites are the ones that push the envelope in terms of hardiness. These include the salvias from Southern Mexico, which I usually grow as annuals because they simply don’t survive our winters (it might be more because of our heavy soils, which stay wet for extended periods, than because of absolute temperatures).

Salvia mexicana ‘Limelight’ is one of these tender salvias. It has been putting on a great show for about a month, and I finally got around to taking some photos before it is done blooming.

As you can see, this is a tall salvia. If the stems weren’t flopping over as much, they’d be five or six feet tall. The violet-blue flowers are beautiful in their own right, but the most outstanding feature for me are the chartreuse calyces. This truly is a stunning combination.

I usually buy a new plant every year, but maybe I’ll take some cuttings to overwinter. The Royal Horticultural Society web site makes it look easy.