Salvia jamensis Reve Rouge

Salvia x jamensis 'Reve Rouge' is a new woody sage with a bushy appearance, featuring a very long and beautiful summer flowering that is truly red, a colour never seen before in these plants. Its velvety flowers, which are of a good size for this group of varieties, gather in fairly long and well-provided clusters, with slender evergreen foliage that is dark green and highly aromatic. This excellent hybrid only requires very well-drained soil to flourish, even if it is poor and chalky in a sunny or partially shaded position, and it adapts wonderfully to pot cultivation.

Salvia x jamensis is a natural hybrid of Salvia greggii and Salvia microphylla, which is frequently found in the mountains of Mexico. 'Reve Rouge' is one of the latest cultivars resulting from this cross-breeding, obtained in France. Like all salvias, it belongs to the large family of lamiaceae or labiates. This branching shrubby perennial has a bushy, branched and spreading habit, wider than it is tall. It will reach 60 cm (24in) in all directions, or even more in fertile soil. The generous flowering is nectar-rich first in early summer, then in autumn, from September to November if the cold doesn't put an end to it. The elongated flowers emerge from the foliage, grouped in spikes. They only measure about 2-3 cm (1in) in length, and are adorned with a deep red colour, enhanced by small brown bracts at the base. They last barely a day, covering the ground with their petals in the evening, but will already be replaced the next morning. The foliage is mostly evergreen and is composed of small oval, dark green, thick and aromatic leaves, a bit sticky, releasing a highly acidic-smelling essential oil with heat, measuring from 1 to 2 cm (1in) in length. This variety is hardy down to -10°C (14°F) in well-drained soil.

The lower light of autumn enhances the flowering of shrubby salvias, which capture the light through their petals like tiny stained glass windows. These plants are part of those that have contributed to the fame of the Salvia genus: minimal maintenance, but almost uninterrupted flowering from spring to frost. They can be found in English cottage and Mediterranean gardens. This 'Reve Rouge' sage will accompany the spring blooms of old violet irises, rosemary, and bellflowers. But its association with tall grasses or autumn asters is fabulous: choose those that require little attention like Aster laevis, Aster turbinellus, or Aster amellus for example. Gauras, tall sedums (Sedum 'Matrona'), shrubby potentillas, and the silver foliage of artemisias or cinerarias will compose a charming tableau with it. On the terrace, place it in a large pot, covering its base with Cerastostigma plumbaginoides, right next to a Cape Plumbago; the colour combination in October is fantastic!

In Mexico, a delicious tea is prepared with the leaves of this sage, which is called 'mountain myrtle' there.