For years I dismissed Salvia farinacea, the mealy-cup sage, as a tacky common bedding annual, meant to be planted en mass. I like plants with a little more grace than the ones that are sold in the stores. I did try Salvia farinacea ‘Texas Violet’ from High Country Gardens one year, because it was described as having flowers scented of grapes, but it was a bit scraggly, the color was rather pale, with typical floury white calyces. It didn’t survive the winter. That’s the other reason I stayed away from Salvia farinacea. It is described as hardy only to zone 8 and since I’m in zone 7A, it would not be reliable. I didn’t want an annual. But after seeing some looking good in the neighborhood, I decided to grow some last year. The only ones that grew to the size I liked were from seed, so I grew a dozen or so plants from seed. To my surprise, every plant had a different character. Some were more sprawling, some had lighter or darker flowers. Some grew more bushy, and some grew more spindly. Some dropped both flowers and calyces after a short time, leaving a spotty raceme. Two plants stood out as being better than the others. One plant grew dark purple flowers with purple calyces and even the stems were purple, instead of the white calyces and green stems that are typical. The other was quite similar, but without the purple stems.

To my surprise, all of the plants survived the winter. I remembered which one was the one with purple stems, and took cuttings of it, and filled my pots with them. Although it’s not a perfect plant, it’s pretty much what I wanted. It’s like Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’, but as a native New Mexican plant instead of a European one. It also blooms for much longer than ‘Caradonna’. It’s not a particularly unusual variation of Salvia farinacea, but it’s closer to what I wanted and not something that can be bought in stores. Maybe I’ll try more seeds and see if I can get something better yet.

'Radio Times'

 Someone once asked me why I plant so many roses that look so similar when there are so many other colors and styles of roses. The short answer is that it’s what I like. The longer answer is that there is much more to a rose than the photograph you see of a single blossom. I started out looking for the perfect rose, and after a while discovered that there is no such thing. 

 

'Abraham Darby'

My favorite flower form is called “quartered” which has many petals in an arrangement like slices of a pie. I also like the roses with cupped shaped flowers. The color I’m looking for is peachy pink with the outer petals pale pink or white, and whose color doesn’t fade as the bloom ages. It is surprisingly difficult to get just right because to get the outer petals lighter it’s usually because the petals fade as they get older, so even the inner petals fade as the flower opens. Some flowers fade to beige, others fade to pale pink, some fade to white, some even turn orange. Some fade in a nice way, many fade in an unattractive way. Some open up bright orange then fade to peach and pink. Then there are variations of scent, flower size, and durability. There are variations in the number of petals. The flowers of some roses change with the weather, getting less petals, getting smaller or turning to a different color in the heat, and then changing again as the weather cools down in the fall. Some have flowers that last a long time, some have flowers that only last a day. Some have flowers that are easily damaged by wind, rain, insects, heat, humidity. 

 

'Evelyn'

I’m also interested in roses that have a strong scent, and one that I enjoy. I’ve tried some roses that smell like mothballs and those were removed. But the fragrance also changes throughout the day and in different seasons, so it takes a while to judge. That’s just the flower. Then there is presentation or how the flower hangs or stands up on the stem and bush. Some hang their flowers like they are wilted, others coyly nod their heads, others are regimentally upright. Does the plant bloom once in the spring and is then done for the year? Or does it bloom again? If it blooms again, how often does it bloom? Some bloom in the spring and in the fall but not through the summer. Do all the blooms open at once in a big splash or does it spread them out for a longer period of time? 

 

'Princesse Charlene de Monaco'

Then there is the bush itself. How vigorous is it? How thorny? Does it grow long canes or is it compact and bushy? Does it grow 10 feet tall or 1 foot tall? Does it grow tall and narrow, or does it grow wide? Does it tend to get diseases or is it resistant? Are the leaves shiny as if waxed or are they matte green or yellowish? Does the plant have a lot of leaves or are they sparse and far apart?

'Scentuous'

Does it like my garden? Does it want to grow? Or would it rather grow in the weather of the UK?  I grow mostly English style roses so that’s always an issue. Some plants with beautiful flowers don’t want to grow in my garden at all.

'Boscobel'