Salvia 'Amistad'

With an extremely long flowering season, May to September, this salvia is one of our favourites.  The distinctive silky, velvety flowers are rather large for a salvia shimmering an intense inky blue with almost black calyces and stems nod impressively on a frame that is much more robust than  it looks.  Like many semi tender salvias it needs a sheltered and sunny spot in well drained soil, but given this, mulched well annually and being trimmed only in late spring once the new shoots have started into life it is hardy in an average winter, even in our neck of the woods.  An established plant can grow 1 to 1.2metres high by 0.5 metres wide in a favoured spot.