Salvia Wendy's Wish

This is a beautiful salvia that grows around 80-100 cm tall. It was a spontaneous garden hybrid found in the garden of a salvia enthusiast in Victoria, called Wendy Smith. The parents of the plant are suspected to be Salvia splendens and Salvia buchananii. Wendy's wish was that part of the proceeds of the sale of the plans be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation - hence the plant's name. This organisation grants cherished wishes to seriously ill children and has been operating in Australia since 1985. 'Ember's Wish', 'Love and 'Wishes' and 'Kisses and Wishes' are other salvias in this 'Wish' range. The plant has large tubular flowers of a pretty beetroot colour and these are held in pinkish-brown calyces which accentuate the blooms. The flowering stems are dark maroon, adding to the effect. It is long flowering from spring through to autumn. Growing in either sun or part shade, it looks very attractive with silver or plum foliage (such as the coloured leaves of Iresine herbstii 'Brilliantissima' which has veins which match the colour of the salvia flowers). 'Wendy's Wish' can be grown in a pot. I prune back by about a half to one-third in height in May and it regrows over winter. In frosty regions, wait till late winter before pruning. When it becomes very woody after a few years, start again with a fresh plant. It is sensitive to hard frosts. 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.