Hi, y'all! I;m beginning to wonder if maybe I'm in the wrong thread. . . . salvias, yes. . . . me? a collector? definitely NOT!!
What I am is thinking maybe a salvia is the kind of plant I'm wanting to plant come planting time, to solve a problem in my garden. I need a guardian plant: salvia seems to fit my requirements: perennial for my zone, evergreen, fast-growing, easy care, full sun for about 8 hours then light shade from the heat of the day on. It would be in its own raised bed (landscapers goofed: they dumped a 3" layer of compost on top of the compacted, red clay soil instead of tilling it in!) approximately 5-6' long and 4' wide. It should be at least 2 1/2 foot tall but no more than 4-5 foot tall. While I can water it for its first year of establishment, it should get it's water needs from the rainfall. (I'm disabled, hence the limited width of the bed.)
Salvias having pretty blooms is a plus!!
See, last winter I moved to the county and the winter winds utterly devastated my hellebores which I brought with me from my old place in town, 3 miles away. I lost one plant and the rest looked burnt and dried out; I moved 2 to a more protected alcove but that left one in a semi-protected spot: it needs a guardian plant to shelter it from the winds! (My hellebores are all about 18" tall.)
Can y'all offer advice? variety? where to order/buy plants (locally, only bare-root salvias are available: I will have to use mail order).
