Perennial Salvia

 Salvia's come in annual and perennial form. I absolutley love them!They are free of insect issues, I have never had any disease issues with them either. Above is Salvia Cardonna. A red-purply-blue color. This salvia has skinny flower stems and the plant gets 24-30" tall.

 Above is Rose Queen Salvia, on of the early summer bloomers. After the main flush of blooms, cutting back the spent flower stems will encourage re-flowering on all perennial salvias. Rose Queen gets 20-24" tall and all salvias want to be located in full sun. Whenever a plant calls for a  full sun location, it means at least 6 hours per day between 9-5 pm. A couple of morning hours and again in late afternoon is not enough for a 'full sun' plant, the sun intensity is very different midday.

 A new one for me this year: above is Salvia transylvanica 'Blue Spires,' aka Romanian Sage. It gets to be 30" tall and blooms mid-summer. Like all of the perennial salvias, once established, it is drought tolerant. I have started these from seed this year, and they are looking great. Likely won't have these for sale till later in the summer. Can't wait to use this beauty in my 'armload' bouquets!

Salvia 'Plumosa,' meaning plume (of course) This salvia has a fatter flower head than most salvias. It is shorter than the others at 18" tall, blooming in early summer. Beside Blue Spires, Earthworks will have the other 3 shown here available when we open May 1st.
What are the wonderful characteristics about salvia? Let me count the ways:

1.  pest & disease free
2. once established, drought tolerant (they won't need you!)
3. long bloom period
4. great for cut flowers
5. great for dried florals
6. deer & rabbits don't like them
7. they attract butterflies & hummingbirds
8. they stay put and do not cast seed or roots about the garden
9. plant in drifts or bands for best effect
10. what more can they do to be the perfect plant for your garden?

What is 'Checking?'

Above is a great illustration of good plant "balance" in a container. The plant has not outgrown it's container, and yet it is not too tiny either. This plants roots will likely outgrow this container in a few days. It would then be need to be planted in the garden or a larger pot to insure continued uninterrupted growth. When the growth is interrupted, by the container size, weather that is too cool, (either outside or in a garage) too warm, dried out too many times for too long, a process called 'checking' can occur. When a plant is 'checked' it seldom will grow again at the desired pace if at all. I once had a broccoli plant stay 6" all summer, yup - until frost. One day of wrong doing will not cause this (unless they froze) but a plant that for instance is allowed to dry out to near withering time after time. Or the plant that is subjected to temps below 50 night after night.

Think incidences x duration.

 Stress = 'checking.'

Overpotting is also a problem but for different reasons. Imagine a tiny transplant in this same container. Watering is the issue. There is not enough 'plant' to use up the water in that amount of soil, so the plant may just sit and rot. If you are skilled, you may be able to regulate with care the water levels. This is why it is recommended tomatoes get re-potted twice, in stages to insure continued growth. Checking can also be a problem at the garden center at the end of the season when the remaining plants are at rock bottom prices. How many times have they dried out and blown across the parking lot? Where the perennials grown in a climate close to ours? If their plants always look good during the season, then likely no problems. If they are always blowing across the lot....do you want them at any price?

KNOW YOUR FARMER!

My Bio;
Farmer gal for 14 years. Grower of the stuff you love! Full line of produce, berries, floral bouquets, perennial plants, veggie transplants, herbs and baker of bread and all things sweet! (well most anyway)

Folks often like to talk or maybe even 'brag' a little that they have their own 'personal trainer,' or hair specialist. I invite you to support my farm or selling sites with your visits, and you can call me "your lady farmer." Yes, you can have your own 'lady farmer.' I always thought the term "gentlemen" farmer had a sort of eloquence about it.

A few things about this farmer and her farming methods. We are NOT certified organic. I consider our farm 'low-input.'
Let me explain: Low in-put is just that. Low - little. At Earthworks we use as little chemical as possible to to be able to produce a crop and operate profitability. For my entire 10 acres of specialty crops that we grow, we spent under $100 on chemicals last year, largely for weed control in the perennial acres. Nothing, was sprayed or dusted on any of our vegetable crops.
I choose NOT to be Certified Organic and here is why:
The agency gets a portion of your sales, even though you already pay to be certified! (funny I didn't see any them out there pulling weeds!)
1. Their system may work for a couple of years until your field is overrun with weeds. (seriously, how many dandelions does it take to make a million more?) I previously owned a Certified Organic Farm, so I do know of which I speak!
2. Surprise! Certified farms can also use chemicals if they choose!  (this is the part that is SO MISUNDERSTOOD!)  Largely, it was believed they must be natural chemicals, found in nature. Examples would be Rotenone and Sabadilla dust for insect control, or spraying Neem oil for insect control. Or injecting plants with BT for systemic control. Plants can also be sprayed with copper chemicals as a fungicide to prevent diseases. See my point? Is it all that different? My low-in put strategy could have me using less chemicals than a Certified grower! The insect controls for bad insects also kill honeybees and other beneficials. What's the difference?
3. Weed control; there is no effective weed control chemical in the Certified arsenal. Weeds are this Lady Farmers biggest issue! I have tried the 'Horticulture Vinegar.' That is very effective to kill back the tops, does nothing to the root. So if you want to spray every 3 days.......   Cultivation and using fabrics for weed control are effective and that is what we do for our food crops. We use (cover your ears!) SYNTHETIC chemicals in our perennials. It's that or thistle which equals no or dimished crop.
4. Here is the BIGGEST suprise of all. There is a list of 33 SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS (yes, the ones you never hear about) that are allowed for use under the Federal Organic Law enacted in 2000 (the most recent) section 205.601  I was shocked at this little tidbit of information. I came across it when I was researching for a class I gave at MSU last week on food safety. At the time of my own certification, no synthetics were allowed, but that was in the late 80's.
Conclusion; If you have concerns about how your food was grown - simply ask your farmer. I am not against Certified Organic, I am really failing to see much of a difference.