GARDENING


Giants of the garden


Salvias are like giants of the garden and the perfect plants to add depth to your yard this spring. by Dan Thomas


I


t was in February last year when I decided to visit a friend’s nursery on the South Coast that specialises


in some of the rarest, most sought after perennials in Australia. I always feel like a kid in a candy store when I arrive. There’s so much to look at and as a plantaholic, I have to resist the urge to not come home with a van full of plants and a lighter wallet. We usually take a casual stroll around her garden; its wild and untamed plants are left to self-seed and grow in the cracks in the pavement. It’s an approach we both have in common with our gardens; we enjoy the feeling of freedom and only apply restraint when necessary. As a perennial expert herself (although she


78 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2017


doesn’t see herself as one), it can be quite easy for me to get out of my depth when discussing plants with her, as she is quick to pull me up on pronunciation of certain species – “It's Thalictrum, not Thalectrum”! I had made the trip down the Coast to


look at some plants to purchase for our own home garden. My wife and I had just bought a small plot of land in the Southern Highlands with an old country house that was in need of TLC, and a garden that looked worse for wear. I had already worked on some


sketches and ideas for the new garden at home earlier in the year. I knew that I wanted a feeling of immersion within the space, and plants that were durable


and had long seasonal interest into the cooler months. I was shown around several corners


of the nursery, discussing the size, shape, and structure of a range of potential candidates for our garden. I was led to the front of her property, just past the vegetable beds where I was shown some of the largest Salvias I had ever seen. For those of you who may not know, Salvias are a large group of herbaceous and woody perennials that belong to the Lamiaceae family and are part of the mentheae, or mint tribe. They are known for their long-lasting flowers and medicinal use. I couldn’t help but be transfixed by the sheer size of the


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