Lyndi explained that the Salvia Society is an offshoot of the Herb Society and was established in 1989. They have their own website: www.salvias.org.au, they issuea regular magazine and offer a wealth of information about identifying and growing salvias.They also have a display garden at Nobelius Heritage Park in Emerald which is free to visit and open throughout the year.Lyndi told us that salvias belong to the same family as mint, herbs, rosemary and lavender and they come in a huge variety. The flowers have a corolla rather than petals. The petals fuse together to make a hood and lips. The flowers are attached to the stem via a calyx.Large, tall varieties originated in cool rainforest areas, they do well in Melbourne and enjoy the shade and competition from other shrubs. While they don’t like hot and dry conditions, they are also frost-tender.Other small varieties, which originated in North America are hardy and love the sun! These will also tolerate frosts. Some have markings to attract bees, coining the phrase ‘bee line’.There are all sorts of colours, from white through pinks of every shade, lilacs, blues and purples and dark intense colours, such as reds, corals, burgundy, oranges as well as pastels like yellow. Some are even black!The pungent scent comes from the leaves attracts pollinators to disperse their seeds. Lyndi described how to propagate and care for salvias and had a variety of plants, seeds, books and cards for sale.
