From the moment I first saw it, I have been in love with it.
Its large, rainbow-colored obovate foliage — scarlet, gold, and bluish-green — makes a dramatic statement. Added to the delight of having it glow in your garden is its disdain for water since it is a drought-tolerant succulent plant.
The botanical gem I refer to is flapjack or paddle plant (Kalanchoe luciae). Like nearly all succulents species — with the exception of cactuses, which are indigenous to the western hemisphere — paddle plant is native to South Africa. Although thriving in all-day sun in South Africa, it performs best in Southern California in half-day sun. The reason for this is that the Southern California summer, especially as you go inland from the coast, is hotter than the South African summer. A white epicuticular wax on the leaf surface, known as farina, is sometimes seen. It is present on many succulents and serves as a natural sunscreen.
I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I noticed bulbils forming in the flower stalk of my paddle plant. Bulbils are miniature plants that are produced from axillary buds on leafy shoots or flower stems and may be grown into clones of their mother plant. Bulbils are so-named because of their appearance on certain bulbous plants, where they pop out in the axils of shoots. The most famous of these is the tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium). These tiny bulbs, like all bulbils, may be picked and planted readily enough. Bulbils may also be found on Egyptian onions (Allium x proliferum).
The appearance of a flower stalk on a paddle plant is an occurrence of some sadness since it signals demise of the plant. Paddle plant is monocarpic which means that it dies after it flowers. This characteristic is uncommon among Kalanchoes but is present in nearly every Agave species. Yet, as death approaches, these plants produce offsets or pups around their base and, in certain species, the aforementioned bulbils. Octopus agave (Agave vilmoriniana) is the most prolific bulbil producer with as many as 10,000 of them forming on a single flower stalk. And then there’s mother fern (Asplenium bulbiferum), a popular indoor or outdoor shade lover that grows tiny bulbils on top of its fronds.
May is the month that Salvias, commonly known as sages, burst into bloom. I am fortunate that one of my neighbors grows what many, including me, consider to be the most stunningly beautiful in this group of plants, which numbers over 900 annuals, herbaceous perennials, and shrubs. This neighborhood Salvia is known as Amistad, or Friendship sage, a variety of Salvia guaranitica. Amistad blooms from now until the fall in full to half-day sun; the further inland you go, the more protection from hot sun it will require due to its tropical South American habitat. Its rich violet-colored flower petals are nestled in black calyces. Leaves emit an anise scent when crushed. Amistad grows from tuberous rhizomes so that it will expand its reach in soil that is kept slightly moist.
Some gardeners say that Salvias – from the Latin “salvere,” which means “to heal” or “to save” – are a fitting appellation for these plants since they are the salvation of drought tolerant gardens due to their near constant bloom. I can assure you that if you plant a dozen different Salvia species, at least a few of them will be flowering at any given moment.
Gary Hammer, the legendary nurseryman who traveled the globe in search of plants suitable for our climate, had at least 33 different sages (Salvias), mostly with shiny green leaves. Many of these are native to the state of Monterey, in Northern Mexico. “There are lots of plants that flower most of the year that come from this part of Mexico,” Hammer explained in an interview with him years ago. “Although they keep their lush green leaf color throughout the year, they require no more water than California natives.”
As long as we are on the subject of Salvias, a few other notable species deserve mention. The first plant on this list is Saliva ‘Hot Lips,’ named for petals showing red lips on the lower part of each flower complimented by white on the upper part. An ‘Amethyst Lips’ in wine red and white is also available. Many salvias are drought tolerant but these lippy hybrid beauties surpass them all. They grow best with half of the day’s sun and, once established in such an exposure, will only require watering once every two weeks, if not less, during the summer. Flowers are visible from late winter until fall, with some decline in bloom during hot, mid-summer weather.
Red salvia (Salvia splendens), a bedding plant, will flower non-stop for up to three years and finally die, but for those three years you will be the beneficiary of the most constant and brilliant scarlet flower display on earth. Just keep your red salvia fertilized and cut it back nearly to the ground every 4-6 months. Cooking sage (Salvia officinalis) is not only of culinary interest but grows into a fine, blue flowered woody perennial. For a dark blue bloomer, select Salvia nemerosa ‘May Night,’ and if you are partial to magenta pink, plant choose Chiapis sage (Salvia chiapensis).
There are many more Salvias I could mention, with literally dozens to choose from, including natives such as white sage (Salvia apiana), with silvery-white foliage and Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii), with purplish blue flowers. Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) blooms virtually non-stop in the shade. An advantage of growing Salvias is their moderate stature. Few species are more than 5 feet tall at maturity and many favorites grow no taller than 3 feet. Annies Annuals (anniesannuals.com) is an excellent source for a large variety of Salvias.
California native of the week: Pink or red winter currant (Ribes sanguineum) is a distinctive shrub that is flowering now. It shows off 4-inch-long flower clusters, with as many as 40 blooms per cluster, complemented by maple-leaf resembling foliage. Classic varieties bloom in pink to red, but white varieties are also available. This is a shrub of significant stature as it may reach a height and girth of 12 feet. Berries are bluiish-black with a white bloom and, while tart, may be eaten fresh or dried. This shrub appears in the plant catalog of Tree of Life Nursery (californianativeplants.com), located in San Juan Capistrano.
If you have a colorful succulent or flowery Salvia tale to tell, please pass it along to joshua@perfectplants.com. You are always invited to email questions and comments as well as garden wisdom or garden predicaments to me as well.