Salvia Love and WishesThis Salvia is a cousin to 'Wendy's Wish', 'Ember's Wish' and 'Kisses and Wishes' . It has red-violet flowers held in sultry dark calyces, and it seems to be always in bloom! The flowers are very similar to those of Salvia 'Desley' but its form is much more compact, and it grows to around 80 cm. It seems just as good a plant as 'Wendy's Wish' and 'Ember's Wish'. It has become one of my all-time favourite plants! I prune back by about a half to one-third in May and it regrows over winter. In frosty regions, leave this pruning till late winter. It looks good with silver foliage or dark purplish leaves nearby, or with coleus plants with purple markings. It can be grown in a large pot. When it gets woody after a few years, replace it with a fresh plant. I think all the 'Wish' cultivars do best with plenty of space around them. Hemmed in by other plants they don't seem to flourish as well.
Salvia Love and Wishes with coleusThis Salvia was bred in Australia by John Fisher. Its parents are Salvia splendens and Salvia buchananii. It was named in third place in the UK Royal Horticultural Society's Plant of the Year Awards in 2015; and as Best in Show at the New Plant Awards at the UK Horticultural Trade Association National Plant Show in 2015. It has become a very popular plant worldwide since its introduction. As with 'Wendy's Wish' and 'Ember's Wish', part of the proceeds of the sale of the plants goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This organisation grants cherished wishes to seriously ill children and has been operating in Australia since 1985.
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