Super Salvia for Autumn

I’ve never met a Salvia I didn’t like. Salvia leucantha, Mexican Salvia, is a star of the autumn garden. This herbaceous perennial grows in zones 7b to 10a. In the cooler zones, top growth is killed to the ground in freezing weather. It will remain evergreen or semi-evergreen in warmer zones. Either plant it in spring to ensure that it has a well-established root system before cold weather arrives or consider it an annual.

Mexican Salvia can each a height of three feet or more, making it perfect for the back of the flower border. ‘Santa Barbara’ is a dwarf form. Flowers occur at the stop of stems, so plants are best situated where shorter plants conceal their lower half. Their lanky structure means that plants may open up in the middle, and may even break in strong winds or thunderstorms. The best way to combat this problem is to prune plants back by half in late May. Onset of flowering may be delayed by a few days, but plants will be shorter and bushier. Don’t prune after mid-July or you risk removing flower buds.

Bloom spikes are either bicolor purple and white or solid purple. The first blooms of the bicolor varieties are sometimes solid purple, with the white appearing in later blooms. The narrow grayish, felted leaves give a hint that it is both heat and drought tolerant. These Salvias prefer a well-drained, neutral to moderately alkaline soil. All varieties attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Deer and rabbits rarely nibble them.

Salvias have square stems, which is a signal to gardeners that they are easily propagated from cuttings. Plant in swaths for an impressive fall display, especially when paired with yellow or orange flowers.

Stunning Shade Plant

Variegated Solomon’s Seal is a top performer in the Mary Snoddy garden. It looks good from the time bulbous, pinkish heads emerge from cold soil in March until dry, frost-killed yellow/tan leaves make whispery sounds in autumn breezes. In late spring, dainty white flowers dangle in pairs from the underside of its curved stems, like tiny white bells. These are described as fragrant, but I have never been able to detect a scent.

We do not normally think of tall plants as being groundcovers, but Solomon’s Seal works well as a carefree soil cover in areas where few other plants thrive. Solomon’s Seal is undemanding. It prefers partial shade and moist-to-wet soil, but survives full-sun exposure at a pond perimeter in my zone 7b garden. Elsewhere, I do not offer supplemental irrigation except in extended dry periods. Plants grown in sun attain only half the height of those grown in partial to full shade. It will also tolerate deep shade. They can be grown in containers, but all stems arch the same direction which may give an unbalanced look.

Plants combine well with ferns and hostas, and look especially great when paired with dark green European ginger, Asarum europaeum.

I am a bit of an evangelist when it comes to Solomon’s Seal. Visitors to my garden often admire the large swaths in my shady beds and woodland areas. Though they are best divided in autumn, I grab a sharp shovel and dig clumps of the shallow rhizomes to share. They spread rapidly enough to disguise the removals within one season. Plants are not bothered by insects and are rarely browsed by (my) deer,

There are several anecdotal explanations for the common name, but none of them appeal to me. Instead, I think the gardener who chooses this plant for their shade garden exhibits the wisdom of King Solomon. Variegated Solomon’s Seal, Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ was named as Plant of the Year in 2013 by the Perennial Plant Association.

Solomon’s Seal in bloom

Solomon’s Seal buds pushing up in March