221 · Salvia Amore Purple

About this plant

Short, well-branched 12-to-14-inch plants topped with long spikes of deep plum, and at 70 days it is the quickest of these eight to reach flowering. Baker Creek grows it for pollinators — hummingbirds, butterflies and bees all work the spikes. Unlike the gaillardias it wants steady water and afternoon shade through a Phoenix summer, so give it a spot on the drip line. Note: Frost tender — protect from frost; do not plant out until late February at the earliest. Most plants will NOT be in bloom at the sale. Needs regular water and afternoon summer shade — this is not a low-water plant.

Planting it at home

When to plant out

Wait until after our last frost (about mid-February) and warm soil — usually March. Until then keep the pot in a sunny, sheltered spot and bring it in on cold nights.

Where

Morning sun with afternoon shade; beds, borders, mass plantings and pots. Not a xeriscape plant — keep it on irrigation.

Spacing

12 in apart (Baker Creek)

Size

12–14 in tall, well-branched (Baker Creek). No staking needed.

Support

Bush / compact — little or no support

Care

Sun

Full sun in our winter and spring; part/afternoon shade once summer arrives

Water

Regular, consistent moisture. Not drought tolerant (NC State Ext) — the highest-water plant in this sale.

Feed

A light flower fertilizer every 3–4 weeks while blooming (general guide).

Pick / harvest

no cutting-stage guidance published for this cultivar; general salvia practice is to cut when roughly half the spike's florets are open

Deadhead

Cut off spent flowers to keep new blooms coming.

Good to know

Caution

Edibility unsure. Do not eat.

Grown from

Seed — sown by FHCG volunteers

Uses

Bedding, borders, mass plantings, containers, cottage gardens, pollinator beds

Life cycle

Tender perennial grown as an annual here; will not reliably overwinter (NC State Ext).

Heirloom or hybrid

Heirloom — saved seeds grow true

Pollinators

Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees (Baker Creek; NC State Ext).

Days to bloom

70 days (Baker Creek FL707)

Heat (our summer)

Moderate only. Takes heat if kept watered and shaded from afternoon sun; will scorch in reflected west-wall heat.

Cold

No — frost tender. Zones 10–11 (NC State Ext); a hard Fountain Hills frost will damage or kill it.

Color

Deep plum-purple spikes (Baker Creek FL707)

Edible

Unsure. Ornamental, not a culinary sage. Do not eat.