Autumn colour

Autumn here is a mild season. It is accented by a flush of flowers, from orchids to vegetables, but an outstanding group of plants now is the salvias. Here our Autumn colour comes from flowers rather than changing leaves.

Pineapple sage has leaves with an attractive pineapple/tangerine scent which can be used like mint as a drink garnish. It also has bright red flowers. It is forming the middle layer of a nice tiered display in our herb garden at the moment, with basil in the foreground and chia (also a Salvia) reaching for the sky behind with its blue flower spikes.

basil sage and chia flowers
Clove basil, pineapple sage, and chia flowering

The chia is wrapping up for the season, indicated by its yellowing leaves. As it did so well I’m hoping for a good seed crop from it and another splash of autumn colour.

Another spectacular salvia at the moment is our Salvia wagneriana, which is just beginning its show of big pink flower scapes.

salvia wagneriana flowers
Salvia wagneriana makes a colour splash on a hill side opposite the house

This is really a landscaping plant, as it takes up a lot of room and spreads widely. Here is our patch after I pruned it back to the ground in August (Winter). It’s got a whole stretch of hill top, above a big stand of bamboo and sheltered by some loquat trees.

salvia wagneriana pruned
The Salvia wagneriana pruned, with Willow inspecting the work

It benefitted from the the drastic pruning, as it was a vast tangled mess, and is now flowering from arching canes several metres long.

I’m going to be on the lookout for more salvias to grow, as they make such spectacular and large-scale displays.