Salvia uliginosa Bog sage

Salvia uliginosa Bog Sage

During the Scotland V Wallabies Rugby game this morning, which was played at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, the commentators gave some tongue in cheek gardening advice on the state of the boggy turf, citing that it was perhaps caused by nematodes which could be fixed with garlic spray. No, I thought, it's the bleeding Scottish rainy weather and a really good place to grow this Salvia

I am in two minds about recommending this plant. The sky/cyan blue flowers are adorable as they sit on thin wispy stems to 1.5 metres and wave about in the breeze all through summer but underground there is a lot of sinister action from a vast network of spreading roots which literally stink when dug up. The plant pictured here is actually in a pot and the roots have gone down into the surrounding soil which means it can be contained in a more manageable way. During my younger garden maintenance days I was once faced with removing this Salvia from the edges of a creek bank which ran through a property and even with digging out and spraying it proved difficult to remove; so plant it with caution. It will grow quite happily in a dry location as well and can also be stopped in its tracks if planted in combination with other robust plants such as a contrasting tall orange Canna or a foreground of Shasta daisies which provide a barrier to its spread.