Salvia buchananii

This is a compact plant only 50cm tall. It has shiny foliage and quite large velvety cerise flowers, which appear mainly in late spring and early summer, though spot flowers will appear all through summer. It can tolerate a degree of shade and can be grown in a pot. It is sensitive to hard frosts. It requires good drainage. It has only fairly recently been found in the wild (in Mexico). With its compact size, it is perfect to mix with cottage-style perennials, such as mauve-blue Geranium 'Rozanne', blue Chinese forget-me-nots (Cynoglossum amabile) and self-seeding pink, purple or white toadflax (Linaria purpurea).

Postscript: I no longer grow this plant as it did not perform well for me and its flowering season was much shorter than other similar Salvia. Other gardeners, however, have better success than me! It is generally regarded as not being a very vigorous plant and it dislikes a lot of humidity. Note that this Salvia is one of the parents of the wonderful Salvia 'Love and Wishes', one of my all-time favourites! Possibly Salvia buchananii grows best in a pot rather than in the garden?