Next to the Blanket Flower, I think the Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea)
is the most prolific flower in my garden.
My plants have flowers that are scarlet red, a rosy pink or white. It is native all along the Southeast of the
US from South Carolina to Florida to Texas.
It likes full sun to partial shade.
In my yard it grows best in the Wildflower garden that gets morning
& afternoon sun, and grows also in the backyard which gets the afternoon
sun. It flowers nearly year-round
depending on the weather, but typically from spring to first frost. Tropical Sage pops up everywhere in my
yard. It is easily plucked from the
ground and re-planted, or stuck in a pot to give as a gift. I have found it growing up though the Scorpion-tail,
in amongst the twinflower, all over the yard in the frog-fruit. I love to look at its glowing red tubular
flowers in the morning sun from my office window.
The tubular flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees. The sparrows and finches alight on it and
pluck the seeds. If not thinned out, it
will easily take over the space. You can
pinch the spent flower stems at the bottom to encourage more flowers.
I can highly recommend this flower if you just want to add a native plant
to your bed, because it is so easy to grow.
RESOURCES:
July 2019, bee (left) enjoys my red Tropical Sage
One thing I especially love about my tropical sage is watching the house finches perch on the stem and eat the seeds. The persch is tricky as the stem bends as they eat. I have tried to get a picture but the birds are spooky and fly away.
ReplyDeletebarbara