A Hummingbird Magnet-VERMILION BLUFFS® Mexican Sage

Mexican Salvia - Vermilion Bluffs® 

Do you want Hummngbirds to live in your garden next year?  Well, hummingbirds love red and they love salvia flowers. So next spring plant the hardy Vermilion Bluffs® Mexican Sage (Salvia darcyi 'Pscarl'). 

 This 4 foot tall, easy to grow, perennial is a show stopper with its brilliant scarlet flowers that are borne on 3 foot erect spires from July to October. Not many garden perennials can boast this length of blooming season. The foliage and stems are very aromatic. After frost, the leaves die to the ground and then return in spring. 

Vermillion Blluffs Mexican Sage from Plant Select - click here

Place it in a sunny area or in containers in loamy soil with good drainage. When its starts blooming the red color and sweet nectar in the bright flowers will bring hummingbirds to your yard. Its underground runners form a tough mat that blocks weeds.

Vermillion Bluffs is a registered trademark of Plant Select.

photo by Panayoti Kelaidis - click here for his great garden blog

This selection has proven to be cold hardy to USDA hardiness zones 5-9 but for people in Zone 5 the plant should be situated in protected sunny corners or against south facing walls to ensure hardiness. An excellent choice for dry, southern exposures and for xeriscape plantings. It emerges in late spring, so be careful when hoeing until the plant emerges.  In April trim the previous year’s stems to the ground. 

 If you live in Minnesota and still want to grow this zone 5 plant you can read how this gardener does it in the Hummingbird Forum. 




And a great place to buy Salvia plants of all kinds is the wonderful Flowers By the Sea! Click here to go to their informative site !They are on Facebook too.


Comments

  1. Cerberus German shepherdsOctober 15, 2013 at 9:22 AM

    Last month, there was a huge amount of them...now I see only stragglers. Monarchs are everywhere now...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan JohnsenOctober 15, 2013 at 9:35 AM

      Janie - I am so happy you see a lot of Monarchs! they are disappearing - or so we are told....

      Delete
  2. ElaOctober 15, 2013 at 1:45 PM

    Fantastic flowers and colors, mexican salvia is pretty
    Greetings :)

    ReplyDelete

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