Favorite Plants: August 2007 Archives

The violet-blue color of achemines used to be relegated, at least in my mind, to hanging baskets and indoor light gardens. But several years ago, a member of the Tyler Men's Garden Club passed along to me a handful of really small, dried coral-colored rhizomes and said for me to give them a try. They have been a favorite in my garden ever since. Because I had more than I needed for containers, I thought I would use them as a tender tropical border plant by my driveway. I was delighted with their abundant flowering, almost right up to frost, and was surprised the following year when that began popping out new foliage in May.

Now, they have spread to several unexpected spots in the garden, but deliberate design and also probably by movement of soil. The tiny, fragile dried rhizomes break up very easily, and apparently most will survive, root and grow when warm summer weather arrives. Not all achimenes varieties are hardy, but these pass along plants have come back year after year, thriving in both shade and suprisingly just as well in sunny exposures if provided some afternoon shade and ample soil moisture. They may not be hardy much further north than zone 7, but this variety is thriving in our East Texas gardens.

I've always liked the fast-growing, non-stop, blue-blooming, sun-loving, drought-enduring 'Indigo Spires' salvia. One weakness it does have is that grows so fast, and never stops blooming that it gets so big it tends to flop and fall over, especially in well-tended (read fertilized and watered) gardens. You can, and should cut it back occasionally, but most gardeners have a hard time bringing themselves to cut off the deep blue flowers spikes that just get longer and longer.

Enter 'Mystic Spires Blue' salvia, a relatively new introduction that is getting acclaim from professional and amature gardeners alike. In almost all respects 'Mystic Spires' is identical to 'Indigo Spires' except that it is much more compact, getting maybe 3 to 4 feet all instead of flopping over at 5 to 6 feet tall like Indigo. It still benefits from a shearing, maybe only once or perhaps twice, to keep it bushy and floriferous. I like to cut back a portion of the growth in early summer, leaving about half to cut back later after the first cut flushes and blooms. It is also non-stop, and instead of being relegated to the back of the flower bed due to size, it can be brought forward where it will be appreciated by not only us, but the flocks of butterflies and other pollinators visiting its dark blue flowers. Does best in full sun, average soil, water and fertility.

It can be seen in the IDEA Garden in the North Texas Winners section by the patio and also in the uppder garden near the Two-wing Silverbell (Halesia) tree.

One of my favorite plant combinations at the IDEA Garden in the Tyler Rose Garden present a striking, almost shocking, contrast between dark purple, almost black leaves, and bright chartreuse yellow leaves of 2 close relatives. Standing taller in the back is Coloscasia esculentus 'Black Magic', sporting huge, dark elephant ears that maintain their rich color throught the heat and sun of summer. Sited right in front is a slightly shorter growing Xanthosoma 'Lime Zinger' with light yellow-green, or chartreuse yellow foliage which almost hurt your eyes they are so bright. Each one sets the other off perfectly. The site is well suited for these moisture-loving plants; a narrow bed constrictred by a wall, patio and drive stays moist throughout the year.