The bright green foliage of this famous Central American plant, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala, compliments the mauve spikes of flowers that appear in July and August. The seeds are a highly nutritious food source and contain high amounts of omega-3,6 and 9, and are harvested for use in health recipes and drinks, and were in fact once the third most produced staple food there, until it was condemned by the European invaders in the 1500s and was almost wiped out altogether. The leaves and stems are also popular in sandwiches, soups, salads and stews. The local name Chia com ... Learn More

Violet-pink flowers bloom out of violet bracts from April until June on almost black stems. This lovely perennial is native to Mediterranean woodlands and shrub lands, and can be found growing in the mountains of Israel where it produces a normally seven-flowered flower stalk that the traditional candle stick was supposedly fashioned after. Biblical scholars claim that Salvia judaica was the model for the temple lamp stand described in Exodus! ... Learn More

'Royal Purple Autumn Sage' is one of the smaller leaved salvias that are often referred to as "Autumn Sages", blooming from mid summer until frost with thin dividing stems producing an almost endless succession of bright blue flowers, amongst very strongly-perfumed leaves. Although it superficially appears to be one of the tender salvias, this plant seems to be completely hardy, dying down safely underground each winter, and has stood minus 10 C (14 F) here. Most plants in this group have red, orange or yellow flowers which makes the striking purple flowers of S. muelleri a treasure. This p ... Learn More

"Albino Sage". The rarely seen and very lovely pure white flowered form of common sage. It also has paler milky grey foliage and a slightly dwarfer habit than the normal blue flowered form. ... Learn More

Possibly the easiest and most impressive of all hardy salvias. From large furry rosettes arise superb branching spikes of large pink-bracted blue and white flowers. An unforgettable sight in a warm dry position where other plants will struggle! ... Learn More

This exciting mix of salvia species will give you a variety of forms and colours for your garden. Size and colour of flower will vary from white to blues and reds. Includes salvias listed in this issue and: Salvia amplexicaulis, barrelieri, glutinosa, nemerosa ostfriedland. ... Learn More

A very lovely plant making beautiful rosettes of hairy, silver-grey leaves from which arise in spring, square-section stems, with dividing heads of large pale blue flowers. This rarely-seen plant is very hardy, down to Z5-6 in the USA but demands a dry place in the garden or a large pot in the winter. It is native to eastern Europe and across Western Asia, and ascends the mountains of Turkey up to over 2,000 meters where it is found in company with Pinus brutia, Pinus nigra and Quercus pubescens in macchie, on limestone or igneous slopes. The leaves are still used as a condiment as a strong ... Learn More

Wild Clary has soft purple to violet flowers which grow on many inflorescences that rise above the leaves, and are held in a hairy calyx, with showy green-veined bracts adding to the plant's charm. Wild Clary is a native across much of Europe and North Africa and is strongly aromatic. In cultivation, it prefers full sun, loose soil, good drainage, and regular watering. ... Learn More

Superficially like but much smaller than S. forsskaoleii, this attractive salvia produces short spires of violet blue flowers above neat basal clumps of triangular-ovate leaves. When the inflorescences, which are closely packed in dense globular whorls, fade and fall off, sprays of bright, attractive, violet calyces remain. ... Learn More

This plant, originally from the west coast of the USA bears sprays of small blue and white "snap-dragons" on extended heads of flowers on stems of thick corrugated leaves. ... Learn More

Native to the mountains shared by Israel and Lebanon, this tidy and unusual plant is easy to grow and is also both drought and heat resistant, flowering over a long period. With tall, branched spikes of dusky-pink flowers and strap shaped leaves in a dense rosette, it is perfect for dry borders, dying away completely each winter. Native to a small area of mountains in Lebanon and Israel, this quite rare plant was first described in 1781 by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, but only began being sold in nurseries in the 1990's! ... Learn More

Groups of tall, thin stems arise from low clumps of deep green, finely-cut foliage and support corymbs of delicate, tiny white flowers from May to September. The plant is incredibly frost hardy and prefers damp shady conditions on neutral or alkaline soil, where it will spread over time to provide good ground cover. ... Learn More

This unusual alpine plant carries clusters of buttermilk-yellow flowers on stems carrying lanceolate leaves, which arise from a basal rosette of spathulate leaves. This high altitude species exhibits the same features as some of the Lychnis catchflies in having sticky hairs, especially on the leaves. In the wild in southern Europe it grows amongst mountain rocks and in pastures to 2000m. ... Learn More

From a low cushion of grey-green leaves arise short stems, bearing clusters of pink flowers starting in late spring and early summer, although in the wild, high in the Pyrenees it flowers much later from August to September. The Tight compact cushions are perfect for rock gardens or troughs. ... Learn More

One of the most popular plants in rock gardens and dry stone walls, or between stepping stones on a path, this lovely semi-evergreen cushion plant opens its bright pink flowers all summer long, from May to August. This species extends from the mountains of Spain to Corsica, Sardinia and Slovenia, and from the Apennines to the Alps. AGM winner ... Learn More