And then, this season, I chose 'Megan's Magic'. I had good reasons: my daughter's name is Megan, and the flowers are intriguing. They are pure white with a deep purple, almost black, calyx, on long stems. The foliage is nice too: the large leaves are a pleasant grey-green.
I planted it and it grew modestly through summer, until it was a nice mound, with the first flower buds about to burst. Then I went away for a week. When I came home, a monster confronted me. In this shot it looks nice and unassuming, almost hard to see in the middle there in front of the Buddleia. But the scale is deceptive.
This thing, described by the growers as "A compact form. Height 80cm, width 70cm", is now 1 and a half metres tall and 2 metres wide. And it has about 6 weeks left to grow. Compact it isn't. The stems are splayed out from the base, and so far it has swallowed all in its path: a rose, a lavender, a Teucrium, an Agastache and a Penstemon. It is also completely shading out the plants behind it.
It is very handsome, and I love the colour in combination with Artemisia 'Powis Castle' and the Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight'.
But it is just too big. I'm not sure whether to leave it in its splendour and let the other plants fend for themselves, or try to cut it back to give them room to breathe, which might completely spoil its effect.
It is a beautiful monster, and I will certainly grow it again, but somewhere else where it can flaunt itself without bullying its neighbours.
Have you had a similar experience with a plant that has turned out to be a monster?
The Salvias look great with the Roses and the Buddlia! I think 'Megan's Magic' looks fine, but maybe a small cage or wire frame would help? By the way, your header photo is lovely and gives us a nice view of your neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI think it looks good, too, but it's muscling out my other plants! The header photo was taken last autumn, as there is no autumn colour here yet. But the calendar says it's autumn, even if it still looks just like summer, so I wanted an autumn photograph.
ReplyDeleteI've always assumed that salvias don't like my heavy clay, so haven't tried growing any, maybe I could grow them new each year as I don't think they would like our wet winters. I really like your salvia, it would be good in my bee and butterfly border along with other huge plants. Love the autumn tints in your new header!
ReplyDeletePauline, Salvias always do well for me and my soil is very clayey. The only ones I can't grow at all are the true annual ones. All the perennials thrive, and some go through the winter here. Salvia guaranitica, Salvia microphylla, Salvia forskaohlei and Salvia nemorosa always do; Salvia chamaedryoides sometimes does. But they might not like your wetter winters. I think they are all worth growing as annuals anyway, especially as they are easy to grow from cuttings.
DeleteThe monster in my garden is my artemesia. I have given it an entire corner of one bed, but it wants the rest, and I have to keep whacking it back! Your salvia looks beautiful - not sure if you could cut it back without spoiling its looks, however, if it is shading out the rest of the plants, sometimes action is necessary. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYes, Artemisias need a firm hand! I cut mine back three or four times each summer and very hard at the beginning of spring. I love it though., It's just a matter of giving things enough room, which I obviously haven't done with this Salvia. I might try tying it up first and see if that works before I try to cut it.
DeleteWow! Not as advertised.
ReplyDeleteI do like the unusual dark and white colors together. Can you cut off the side stems to trim it into a narrower shape without sacrificing the whole plant? Then stake or contain the remaining shape in a wire hoop --- or it may already just too big and rangy for remedial help.
I've had perennials (shasta daisies and rudbeckias) that got too huge, but that was my own planting mistake, as I overplanted for the area. What a surprise you got with this salvia.
I have to have a better look at it to see what might work, Laurrie. I won't cut the lengths back, whatever happens, because I'll lose all the flowers. I'm either going to do as you suggest and cut off the outer stems and contain the rest somehow, or just try to tie the whole thing in a kind of gigantic bunch.
DeleteI still don't know if this 'Megan's Magic' is just a freak or if they usually grow this big.
Although I like the close-up of this Salvia I must admit to liking the mono-colours you used in previous years better; they gave more impact. But it could just be your images are a little burnt out in your hot sun (only a little envy there). I think you can't do a lot now, just maybe keep an eye on the plants that are being swamped so they don't die. Christina
ReplyDeleteThe first photo certainly looks better, with the Salvia leucantha, but the other photos don't come anywhere near to doing justice to 'Megan's Magic' (or the rest of the garden). The combination of the hot sun, as you say, and either the photographer or the camera (I blame the camera!)has really given a rubbish result that I only used because I haven't blogged for so long and I had very little time. If you could see this plant in person you might change your mind. It really is gorgeous.
DeleteYour Salvias look lovely with the other plants. Your monster salvia is a beauty but I should carefully remove side stems and use a piece of wire to protect the other plants.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of monsters in my garden, for instance the Lysimachias.
I think I will try to remove some of the side stems, as you suggest, and then tie up the rest if I can. I have never grown Lysimachias, so I'm going to look them up. I quite like monster plants, as long as they are in the right place with plenty of room.
DeleteOff with its head! Cut it back and thin out some stems near the base to give other plants some breathing room. You need to manage this plant mafia style - whack it!
ReplyDeleteYou sound very violent today, Tammy! I'm going to try tying it together first, but if it doesn't work, I will get more drastic.
DeleteI have a relative like that. So yes, prune it a little so the plants around it don't have to run screaming.
ReplyDeleteYour gardens turned out really well-- still looking lovely as your summer ends!
Do you advise pruning monstrous relatives too?
DeleteI am really happy with how my gardens have grown this year, thanks, Linnie, but I don't know how you could tell from those photos!
I do like that Salvia, mind you... lovely!
ReplyDeleteI had a hardy geranium that started small and lovely and ended up gigantic, not so lovely and eating up the lawn. If you leave it long enough that plant will probably make the choice for you...
I love it, but the photos don't portray it at all. It's a knockout.
DeleteHardy geraniums never get out of control here - they either die or are very well-behaved, so a rampaging geranium would be a novelty -not fun for you of course.
I have now tied up the Salvia in a bunch - and it looks good and not bunch-like at all. Very happy.