Victoria Blue Salvia

There are many types of salvias and they have an almost cultish following.  They come in so many variations and are so easy to care for that people just can't get enough of them.  They are also pretty deer resistant and many come back every year.  Those that don't come back are easy to grow from seed and some of them are ready re-seeders.  Add that this the fact that hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees love them and you have a recipe for a favorite flower. 

This blog entry is about my Victoria Blue salvia (Salvia farinacea).  This salvia is a perennial in my area of the country and makes these beautiful purple/blue spikes of flowers.  The plant is mounding and has a nice shape. 

I've got a clump of these planted in one of my butterfly beds.  They are growing in the midst of some pentas and tithonias.  I'm hoping they spread more and more and I can divide them to plant in other areas and share with friends.  There are many other types of salvias to grow besides these.  I have some salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage) planted in another place in my yard and I have planted salvia coccinea in years past.  Nearly all do well throughout the US, as long as they get full or partial sun.