Salvia ‘Black and Bloom’
* Common name: Anise-scented sage ‘Black and Bloom’
Salvia ‘Black and Bloom’ flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds.
* Botanical name: Salvia guarinitica ‘Black and Bloom’
* What it is: Salvia ‘Black and Bloom’ gets my vote as the No. 1 plant for attracting hummingbirds. This tender perennial (grown as an annual in central Pennsylvania) has tubular, cobalt-blue flowers with black bases and black stems that are apparently irresistible to hummingbirds.
Plants bloom non-stop from late spring into frost and can be grown in the ground or in a large pot. They’re also heat-tough and almost never bothered by deer.
Leaves have a mild licorice scent when crushed.
This variety is an improvement on the similar but older variety ‘Black and Blue’ and has good disease resistance.
* Size: Grows upright to about three feet tall and two feet wide.
* Where to use: This one’s a must in a pollinator garden or planted outside a favorite window where you’ll be able to see the hummingbirds feasting on the flowers. Plants flower best in full sun, but they’ll do reasonably well in light shade.
* Care: Keep soil damp the first few weeks to aid rooting, then water is needed only in dry spells.
Work compost and timed-release flower fertilizer into soil at planting. Supplemental fertilizer usually isn’t needed, but a monthly scattering of granular, balanced flower fertilizer may help if flowering is weak.
Staking and deadheading usually aren’t needed either.
Although our winter freezes usually kill ‘Black and Bloom,’ plants can be salvaged for another year by storing them dormant in a pot in an unheated garage or shed over winter. Cut off dead foliage, water, and move plants outside in May to see if new growth emerges. If so, you earned a bonus second year.
* Great partner: Pink and/or white sun-loving annuals are good partners, such as petunias, SunPatiens, alyssum, vinca, white euphorbia, and zinnias. Dusty miller’s silvery-gray foliage coordinates nicely with ‘Black and Bloom’s’ blue flowers. Dwarf panicle hydrangeas or pink roses are good shrub neighbors.