The
Blue Sage, or salvia, was in declining popularity by
the late Victorian age. According to Hibberd it needed
to be grown in the glasshouse or hotbed, which may have
contributed to its decline as gardeners looked for more
easily grown plants which did not need expensive equipment.
Salvia
patens could be raised from seed sown in sandy
seed trays early in February, then placed in a heated
glasshouse
or on a common hotbed.
Repotted into pots by mid-May, they could then be transferred
to cold
frames where they could be exposed to more garden
air by slow degrees. By June they might be planted out
into the garden if the weather was warm enough.
The
plants could be kept for years by lifting the roots
once the frosts had cut down the leaves and storing
them in sand during the winter. Early in spring the
roots should be placed into boxes or pans filled with
light soil and placed in moderate heat to start them
into growth. Once shoots have reached two to three inches
in length, they could be taken as cutting and struck
in a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
If
they plants were lifted before the frosts had got to
them, then they needed to be over-wintered in a greenhouse.
For
the greenhouse and conservatory Hibberd recommended
the narrow-leaved S. augustifolia, the light
blue S. azurea, the scarlet S. fulgens,
and the white S. patens alba.
