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Salvia greggii Navajo Pink ['RFD-S019'] - (Pink Autumn Sage) - A selection of the evergreen perennial native found throughout southwest Texas and into Mexico that has medium green glabrous leaves that are 3/4 to one inch long and lightly fragrant salmon pink flowers blooming over a long season from late spring through fall providing a nectar source for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to very little - this is a drought resistant plant and cold hardy down into high teens° F. An attractive newer hybrid that adds a great new color to the range of colors of Autumn Sage. As with other Salvia greggii selections it is ideally suited to full sun and dry situations.
The species Salvia greggii is naturally found at elevations from 5000-9000 feet in the mountains and rocky slopes of Mexico and southwest Texas. The name Salvia comes from the name used by Pliny for a plant in the genus and comes from the Latin word 'salvere' meaning "to save" in reference to the long-believed healing properties of several Sage species. The specific epithet honors Josiah Gregg, (1806-1850), an American Naturalist who traveled through Texas in the early 1840s, recording the geology, geography and plants all that he saw in his Commerce of the Prairies and later joined a botanical expedition to western Mexico and California. Salvia greggii is commonly called Autumn Sage since it blooms through to first frost but also Texas Sage, but this can confuse it with Leucophyllum frutescens, which shares this common name.
Salvia greggii Navajo Pink was a new hybrid from the Salvia Man, the late Rich Dufresne who selected it as a chance seedling in his own collection in Greensboro, North Carolina. Under the cultivar name 'RFD-S019' it received US Plant Patent PP14,681 that has since expired and was being marketed by Ball Horticulture. We grew this nice plant from 2008 to 2009 but continue to grow the durable Autumn Sage cultivars Salvia greggii 'Alba' and Salvia greggii 'Furman's Red'.
The information about Salvia greggii Navajo Pink ['RFD-S019'] displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
