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A bright red flowered Salvia with a good reputation for its performnce in a container. I tried it on the south wall of the house
and it flowered through the second half of the year until the frost cut it down. It wasn't a spectacular success but it was an interesting
addition to the border. It survived the winter but not in good enough condition to be worth saving. Flowers by the Sea say: "The Wish Collection started with Salvia enthusiast Wendy Smith, who discovered an unusual sage seedling in her Victoria, Australia, garden in 2005. Smith discovered the plant beneath her Lolly's Mexican Sage (S. mexicana 'Lolly'). Smith's garden also contained Buchanan's Sage (S. buchananii), Chiapas Sage (S. chiapensis), Purple Majesty Sage (S. guaranitica 'Purple Majesty') and Scarlet Sage (S. splendens) -- all of which have been identified as possible parent plants for Wendy's Wish. In particular, its flowers have the deep magenta color and size of S. buchananii and the dramatic calyxes of S. splendens. Ember's Wish Sage was derived from what is known botanically as a sport -- a naturally occurring plant part that looks significantly different from the rest of a plant. Plant Growers Australia (PGA) discovered a bright coral-flowered sport on a magenta-flowered Wendy's Wish. The Australian online publication Garden Drum reports that PGA was "keen to support Make-a-Wish Australia." In addition to requiring licensed growers to pay a portion of each sale of the plant to the foundation, PGA further supported Make-a-Wish by auctioning naming rights at a fundraising ball for the organization. This raised thousands of dollars. Paul and Lyn Shegog won the auction. By combining Emma and Brett into Ember, the Shegogs named the plant for their two teenagers who died from a genetic disorder. Garden Drum notes that the name also reflects the sage's fiery blossoms. |
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| 27th July 2019 | ||
