Japanese name: サルビア ゲスネリーフロラ Scientific name:Salvia gesneriiflora
[Overview]
A perennial 60 cm tall.
The stem is cylindrical.
Short hairs cover the whole plant.
The leaves are simple and opposite, ovate with a heart-shaped base.
The leaf surface is wrinkled, and the margin has fine teeth.
The leaves have petioles.
The flowers are red and lip-shaped, arranged along one side of a long flower spike.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by shoot cuttings.
It can overwinter outdoors if not exposed to frost, and even if the aboveground part dies back in winter, it will sprout again in spring as long as it does not freeze.
If freezing is a concern, protect plants in the ground by laying straw around the base, and bring potted plants indoors.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place.
In poor light it may become leggy and weak, and flowering is also poorer.
For potted plants, from spring to autumn water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and keep on the dry side in winter.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
If base fertilizer is applied, no further fertilizing is particularly necessary.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
