Salvia Desley

Salvia Desley

This is a beautiful Salvia cultivar (ht 2 m). It is similar in form to 'Purple Majesty' but has plum-coloured flowers held in thrillingly dark calyces. It looks stunning against a backdrop of the large shrub Euphorbia cotinifolia (or purple-leaved Loropetalum) and silver-leaved Buddleja 'Silver Anniversary'. It can have a few flowers in the early summer months but seems to come into its own in late summer, and is smothered with blooms throughout autumn and winter. As with most Salvia, I prune it back hard in late winter. Very large old woody stems can be removed at ground level at that time also. Cuttings taken in spring or autumn will strike easily. It seems to thrive in sun or part-shade. It is thought to be a cross between Salvia 'Black Knight' and Salvia 'Van Houttei', and is an Australian hybrid. In my experience, this plant becomes quite woody after a few years and is best replaced with a cutting.