One of my go-to annuals has always been the bright red salvia, ‘Lady in Red’. The plants are easy to sprout from seed and grow 24 inches tall. The flowers are absolutely irresistible to hummingbirds and bees. The only complaint I’ve ever had about ‘Lady in Red’ is that sometimes the plants wilt on me in the middle of the summer, and I’ve never been able to identify the problem.
Last year I tried a newer cultivar called ‘Forest Fire’. The stems are darker and the flower color is supposed to be more rich. ‘Forest Fire’ also grows 24 inches tall:
I really liked the darker stems which set off the beautiful, fiery-red flowers. And the best part was that all my plants stayed healthy throughout the summer. Not a single one succumbed to that mysterious wilt.
I rely heavily on annual salvias in my flowerbeds because unlike many other annuals, they tolerate and thrive in partial-sun. The plants are carefree (except for that occasional wilting nonsense) and aren’t bothered by pests.
This year I’m trying another red salvia. ‘Summer Jewel Red’ has won awards in both the U.S. and Europe. It’s a 2011 All-America Selection (AAS) winner and a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner. The compact plants grow 20 inches tall and bloom 3 weeks earlier than ‘Lady in Red’. The flowers appear all summer long into fall.
And it just so happens that ‘Summer Jewel Red’ has an award-winning sister, ‘Summer Jewel Pink’ (AAS winner for 2012). I’m going to give that cultivar a whirl as well.
The hummingbirds and bees will have plenty of flowers to visit this summer.