Garden Doctors: Gorgeous coastal shrub sparks curiosity

Judith writes: I was visiting on the Mendocino coast and came across a shrub that looked like St. John's wort but had these purplish-red berry-like fruits as well. By my description, can you identify this plant? It was gorgeous.

You did a fine job of describing Hypericum androsemum, "Albury Purple," a near relative of the familiar St. John's wort, Hypericum prolificum. It is a 2- to 3-foot shrub that seems to thrive by the seaside, but for those plants I have observed more inland, not as vigorous due to rust problems on the foliage.

Albury Purple prefers well-drained soil, moderate water, semi-shade in warmer climates and full sun near the coast. The broad leaves are a deep green with purple tints and the foliage is indeed a knockout combined with its bright yellow flowers and showy stamens. The upright, oval, red-purplish fruits are inedible.

It can be pruned or cut back to within a few buds in the spring to keep the shrub looking full and prevent legginess. Also, if rust does appear, the afflicted leaves can be pruned and new growth will again appear.

Hypericum "Albury Purple" is a choice plant often used by floral designers in their arrangements.

A garden tip from Wayne: Try recycling old and discarded fine-mesh window screening by cutting and forming pieces into protective plant collars. These collars are perfect for excluding pests from devastating new transplants.

Paper clips keep the circular collars together until they can be removed as the plant matures.

I also like to use colorful paper clips as a bit of garden whimsy in addition to not losing track of the small screens.

Allen writes: There are so many small, shrubby salvias and I am having difficulty identifying the differences between Salvia chamaedryoides, Salvia greggii and Salvia buchananii.

These all seem like good choices for a more drought-tolerant garden, but can you offer some quick identification tips to alleviate my confusion?

Here are some descriptions of the above salvias that will help you identify them as well as additional care requirements:

Salvia buchananii, Buchanan sage, grows to a height of 1 to 2 feet and equally as wide. The key identifiers are: Look for glossy dark green leaves, lax stems and magenta flowers.

It has a long bloom season from summer through fall. This is a fine container plant.

Salvia chamaedryoides, germander sage, grows to a height of 1 to 2 feet and a width of 2 to 3 feet.

The key identifiers are: Look for silver leaves with brilliant blue flowers. The heaviest bloom is in late spring and fall with intermittent bloom during the rest of the season. This is a nice addition when used in the foreground of a garden border.

Salvia greggii, autumn sage, grows to a height of 1 to 4 feet and equally as wide. The key identifiers are: Look for slender, hairy stems with glossy green leaves. The shrub blooms summer through fall with varieties available in many colors.

Remove spent flowers often. It is important to prune/shape and remove dead wood before new growth begins in the spring.

Salvia coccinia, tropical sage, is short lived and used as an annual. The key identifiers are: Heart-shaped, dark green leaves with brittle appearing stems.

Color/bloom selections are varied. Deadheading encourages rebloom.

All salvias are fairly drought tolerant but will do best with moderate water when becoming established.

They require good drainage and resent severe pruning except in early spring, when signs of new growth are emerging.

Shaping during the growing season is best accomplished by gently tip pruning — no more than one-third of the top growth! Heavy pruning before blooms season delays flowering.

Send your gardening questions to The Garden Doctors at pdgardendoctor@gmail.com. The Garden Doctors, gardening consultants Gwen Kilchherr and Dana Lozano, can answer questions only through their column, which appears twice a month in the newspaper and online at pressdemocrat.com.