Today’s speaker, Lyndi Garnett, belongs to the Salvia Study Group of Victoria, which is associated with the Herb Society, which started in 1989.
A gentleman from Geelong named Bill Whitehead, who has donated salvias to the Geelong Botanic Gardens, established the Group. The group maintains a salvia garden in Emerald; near the Nobelius packing sheds on the Puffing Billy line.
Salvias belong to the same family as basil, rosemary and lavender. They do not have petals, instead corollas, which are two petals fused to make a hood and three extra petals, forming a lip with a calyx attaching the flower to the stem.
Salvias come in all colours including black, and flower throughout the year. Better still, they are disliked by possums because of the smell of the leaves.
They are found all around the world, including some native to Australia. As they are annuals you must collect seeds to plant – these can be stored in paper bags and sown on top of seed raising mix. South African varieties are very hardy. The flowers are striped – this line guides the bees and originated the expression ‘bee-line’.
Lyndi advises keeping the labels on the plants you buy, so that they can be identified in the future. When propagating take tip cutting and cut through the node, dip in rooting powder or gel and plant. The tall ones need to be staked or tied to a fence.
