Soothing salvias, nice natives looking for homes at Goodwood Plant Sale
Sharing plants is a tradition among gardeners and is especially strong in the South. Many of the plants for the annual Goodwood Spring Plant Sale set for Saturday are reliable heirlooms that have been shared by Goodwood’s garden volunteers and propagated for the sale.
Many of these plants were first bought at a Goodwood plant sale years ago; their abundance to share is a garden success story.
Soothing salvias
Salvias are a large genus of plants in the sage family (Lamiaceae), with annuals, biennials, perennials and shrubs included. The name salvia comes from the Latin verb salvere — to heal. Salvia (Sage) plants, recognizable by their tall square stems that support flowers, have been cultivated for their medicinal and culinary uses for millennia.
Another benefit of salvias is the attraction their tubular flowers have for pollinators – butterflies, bees and hummingbirds love them! Saliva species, cultivars or hybrids thrive in our long, hot season — good drainage and full sun are a must.
Goodwood has a large selection of salvias for you to choose. Take one or more of these beauties home: Salvia elegans (Pineapple Sage), S. coccinea, (Texas Sage), S. leucantha, (Mexican Bush Sage), S. guaranitica, (Blue Anise Sage), S. Involcrata, (Rosebud Sage), S. patens, (Gentian Page), S. splendens van houttei (Burgundy Scarlet Sage) and several others.
Necessary natives
If you haven’t added native plants to your garden, spring is a good time to plant some. Native plants attract pollinators needed to support a healthy landscape. You can play a part in this natural cycle by planting some natives in your garden.
The coral honeysuckle vine in my fence has already been visited by a hummingbird; and bumblebees and butterflies are flying around my borders looking for tempting flowers.
It’s a joy to watch them hover around my flowers. Goodwood will have coral honeysuckle vines, asters, summer phlox, Florida anise, Chapman’s rhododendron, Virginia sweet spire, and twin flowers, among many other natives for sale.
Come early for the best selection of perennials, ornamental vines, shrubs, groundcovers, annual flowers, herbs, and vegetables. A number of hard-to-find heirloom varieties are featured, such as the double orange daylily ‘Kwanso.’ As well as crinums, such as the St. Mark’s lily.
If you go
What: Goodwood Museum & Gardens Plant Sale
When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 13. The sale will continue on the following two Fridays from 9 a.m. until noon
Where: Goodwood Museum, 1600 Miccosukee Road; rain or shine, at the Virginia McKee Greenhouse
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bring home heirloom varieties at Goodwood Spring Plant Sale