I have a lot of different varieties of salvia, and this is one of my favorite. I have about 5 in my garden but I'd plant more except tha...Read Moret I have very rarely found any at local nurseries.
They flower well. I believe they are a greggii which tends to mean good cold hardiness. I think Suncrest says these are only good to 15-20F but other places say 0 or 5 degrees. They have survived over the last few years here in the Portland area and I think we had at least a couple cold snaps since I planted them a few years ago.
One thing I like about them is the color. It is a rather unusual one that is a bit different than any other salvia I have. I have some Ultra Violets that I got at High Country Gardens and Portland Nursery which are a somewhat similar color. Between the two I like the Orchid Glow a bit better, although I would have a hard time pinning down exactly why I prefer it.
They seem to have a good growth habit. Some salvias have odd growth habits- e.g. the Flowerkisser Dark Shadows from HCG has a gorgeous deep purple flower, but they grow kind of tall and upright and they seem a bit more brittle than most salvias such that I have knocked some over when watering them the first year or when walking past one. Also they don't seem to flower as long or prolifically. Another odd one is the Killer Cranberry which grows really big laterally, but that means it can take over too much space if you have arranged your salvias in even rows.
Overall, the Orchid Glow seems to be an excellent one which is one of my top 2 or 3 or so that I would plant more of if I expand my salvia garden. (Others of my current favorites are the Lipstick (red) and the Playa Rosa ( pink- from Xera nursery.)
I have a lot of different varieties of salvia, and this is one of my favorite. I have about 5 in my garden but I'd plant more except tha...Read More