Salvia coccinea
Friday, November 20, 2009
Salvia is an excellent genus from a wildlife gardener's point of view. The flowers of most of the species that I've grown (with the exception of an annual bedding plant) provide nectar for bees and butterflies of all sorts, as well as ruby-throated hummingbirds.
Some of them, such as S. guaranitica (Brazilian sage or Anise sage) and S. coccinea (Texas sage) flower all season long in our Zone 7 climate. What's not to like about that?
A cultivar of S. coccinea 'Coral Nymph' - selected for its coral pink flowers - was still providing sustenance for honeybees and carpenter bees on a late November afternoon.
