It does love that spot. I've had to shovel prune it a few times to contain it. I wait till the last blooms to prune it because we have hummers year round.

How would the cemetery admin feel about benches and a "coffee cart"?....LOL...

LOL

Hot Lips proved to be more tender than many other microphylla here in zone 7a New Jersey. In perfect drainage a row of 6 became 5 and then 3 and then 1 and after about 6 years it was gone altogether. It wasn't a big favorite with me although it did grab ones attention as it bloomed first red then often a pure white and finally bi-colored. My favorite bi-colored which also turns out to be marginal here is Dancing Dolls. That is one I'd consider bringing back again.

By the way, so far the winter has been really kind to the greggii/microphylla. Nearly all the plants still retain leaves quite high up the branches. If they continue to do so this will create a dilemma come spring pruning time. It is much easier to use a hedge trimmer and take them all to the ground than have to figure out on each one how far down to trim. The effort is worth it since plants that have green wood above the ground bloom earlier and grow much larger, but there are too damned many plants and not so many hours.

WardDas said:My favorite bi-colored which also turns out to be marginal here is Dancing Dolls. That is one I'd consider bringing back again.

By the way, so far the winter has been really kind to the greggii/microphylla. Nearly all the plants still retain leaves quite high up the branches. If they continue to do so this will create a dilemma come spring pruning time. It is much easier to use a hedge trimmer and take them all to the ground than have to figure out on each one how far down to trim. The effort is worth it since plants that have green wood above the ground bloom earlier and grow much larger, but there are too damned many plants and not so many hours.

One of my favorite salvia is Dancing Dolls. Beautiful flowers!

I hoping my greggii/microphylla in containers will survive the rest of winter also. I'm hoping Salvia 'Windwalker Royal Red' survives the winter in a container too.

Marilyn, I have quit worrying too much about survival. Sometimes I think in the early years of growing these types I might have worried them to death. That extra full zone warmer than you and perfectly drained sandy soil makes a big difference. Windwalker was new to me as of last year. Great flowers but I didn't like its growth habit. Based on what I could read on the plant it may actually be one you can leave in the ground outside with some confidence or at least hope of its survival.

Dancing Dolls was funny in the park gardens. In a little bed maybe 200 feet from the Delaware River it seemed stone hardy and several hundred yards further from the river where presumably it got just a little colder the return rate was maybe 20% and then only from branches layered the year before - older crowns had no chance at all.

One of these days maybe I will pass along one of my hybrids - Ark Road Pink. I don't know the limits of its hardiness, but some examples of it have been in the ground close to 15 years now.

Ward

Ark Road Pink sounds beautiful! Love the pink flowers!

Kermit stated on Sep 1, 2015 in the Agastache and Salvias forum....

FBTS said:In moist climates Windwalker grows so fast it gets top heavy and breaks. We pinch them twice just in 3 1/2 inch pots! In the ground, we'll cut a branch back 1/4 to 1/2 after it flowers out, to get low branching and stronger stems. To do so you might have to sacrifice a few of the last flowers on a stem, but its a small price to pay fr a stronger plant.

The thread "Windwalker Royal Red Salvia" in Agastache and Salvias forum

If mine survives the winter, I'm going to do some pinching. When I read that in mid Sept., I didn't want to lose any flowers, so I just let finish growing the way it was. It had other salvias in containers next to it, so it could lean and lay on them.

That is my planned approach to it also.

Leslie, I think it is wonderful that you are doing a public garden. I would love to know that works for you or your group.

I grow Hot Lips. I took two small cuttings from my friends plant last year and both took off. I have one in the ground & one in a pot. Both need to be trimmed back before long. I also grew it in Austin (8b). In my experience, it stops blooming when it gets really hot and resumes again in the fall.

Yes that is pretty much the way it is with microphylla and greggii. Even in my climate - zone 7a New Jersey - most of these types shut down around the end of July for a week or two. For the hummingbird gardener it is one good reason to grow agastache since they cover the short gap quite well.

WardDas said:Leslie, I think it is wonderful that you are doing a public garden. I would love to know that works for you or your group.

Thank you. It is a labor of love. Every Salvia we have had in here has done well except for S. 'Dark Dancer' of which we have two and they perform poorly but there still here. We did loose our S. 'John Whitlesey' but that was just bad timing of the planting I think. Oh and Sherry we do have benches throughout the Cemetery and a cluster of pick-nick tables. I'm sure the Preservation admins don't like them. There not historical. They are making us take out all the structures/arbors for the climbing roses etc. The roses will have to go to in many cases. It's an internationally recognized rose collection too. No plants may drape over the edge.....etc etc. It's a very Jackboot approach they use. The volunteers are becoming disenchanted. I'll hang in there though. It is a very worthy cause. Salvia melissodora, S 'Tequilla' and S semiatrata are still blooming. S. arficana-lutea is just starting to bloom along with the Daffodils.

Well, that's sad news, Leslieray......

So many old cememteries are in a sad state of disrepair...is this one well kept, outside of the area in which the garden is? I'm assuming that it's in good condition as it is recognized as historic and being in Sacramento certainly helps. Still, I would think that the attention brought to the cemetery by the Garden is a desirable thing in and of itself. What about public opinion? Can admin be swayed by that? Public in favor of the Garden within the cemetery? Last thought, if nothing else, before you all give up (hopefully not)....are the members of the preservation board permanent? Elected? Appointed? Self appointed? Can the decisons of the board stand, or can they fluctuate with a change in membership? Leadership? Seems that sometimes that's the only hope, within a workplace, or elsewhere....a change in management......

As an afterthought.......you have all accomplished a great deal and worked hard in performing a service to your community....if nothing else, sometimes new challenges and new beginnings bring renewed enthusiasm and energy. I would imagine there are other spots in the city that would welcome beautification with open arms.....if the cemetery admin is not apprciative, maybe find another new spot that is......and create another point of beauty and interest.......?