{"product_id":"salvia-greggii-cherry-queen","title":"Salvia greggii 'Cherry Queen'","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eA North Carolina–bred salvia from one of the most important salvia hybridizers America has produced. \u003cstrong\u003eCherry Queen\u003c\/strong\u003e is a deliberate cross between \u003cem\u003eSalvia greggii\u003c\/em\u003e — the autumn sage of the Texas and Mexican borderlands, valued for drought tolerance and six-month bloom — and \u003cem\u003eSalvia blepharophylla\u003c\/em\u003e, a Mexican species whose common name \"eyelash-leaved sage\" comes from the tiny hair fringe at the edge of each leaf (Greek \u003cem\u003eblepharon\u003c\/em\u003e, eyelash; \u003cem\u003ephylla\u003c\/em\u003e, leaves). \u003cem\u003eBlepharophylla\u003c\/em\u003e has the most saturated, signal-bright red flower in the entire genus \u003cem\u003eSalvia\u003c\/em\u003e, but it spreads by stolons in ways most gardeners don't want and resents cold winters. \u003cem\u003eGreggii\u003c\/em\u003e has the bones and the durability. The hybridizer who put them together was \u003cstrong\u003eDr. Richard \"Rich\" Dufresne\u003c\/strong\u003e of Candor, North Carolina — an organic chemist who became, more or less by accident, the leading American breeder of woody salvias for the eastern climate. Dufresne died in December 2018, leaving behind a body of work that includes 'Cherry Chief', 'Maraschino', 'Pluenn's' selections, and this one — \u003cstrong\u003e'Cherry Queen'\u003c\/strong\u003e — described by Plant Delights Nursery as the most brilliant red they had ever seen on any hardy salvia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe flower is the show. Tubular, two-lipped, an inch long, in a clean saturated cherry-red — not the deeper crimson of the \u003cem\u003eCallistemon\u003c\/em\u003e, not the brick of \u003cem\u003eSalvia greggii\u003c\/em\u003e 'Furman's Red', but a sharp luminous red that reads from across the garden. Bloom begins early — sometimes the first warm days of April in zone 8 — and continues in waves through summer and into fall, with a heavy push from September through November once the autumn sage genetics take over from the \u003cem\u003eblepharophylla\u003c\/em\u003e spring\/summer pattern. In humid southeastern conditions, plants often bloom continuously from April through hard frost. Hummingbirds find this plant within hours of the first flowers opening; bees, butterflies, and beneficial wasps work it heavily through the season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe plant itself is compact and well-mannered: 24 to 36 inches tall and as wide, with a slightly more spreading and semi-prostrate habit than the typical upright \u003cem\u003egreggii\u003c\/em\u003e. The leaves are narrower than most \u003cem\u003egreggii\u003c\/em\u003e selections, dark green and glossy (a \u003cem\u003eblepharophylla\u003c\/em\u003e trait), with the small pointed apex that Dufresne identified as a diagnostic feature for accurate identification of his cultivar. Aromatic when crushed — the soft minty-resinous scent of woody salvias generally, lighter than culinary sage. \u003cstrong\u003eDrought tolerant once established. Heat-tolerant. Humidity-tolerant — a meaningful advantage in the Southeast, where many western salvias struggle.\u003c\/strong\u003e Deer and rabbits leave it alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eA note on care: like all woody salvias in the \u003cem\u003egreggii \u003c\/em\u003e\/ \u003cem\u003emicrophylla \u003c\/em\u003e\/ \u003cem\u003ejamensis\u003c\/em\u003e group, Cherry Queen is not self-cleaning. Spent flower stalks remain on the plant until removed. The standard maintenance approach is to cut the plant back by half to two-thirds in late winter — not precision pruning, just a hard reset — which removes the dead tops and triggers the spring flush. Plants left untouched will still bloom and grow but will look ragged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eFor the hummingbird gardener who wants the brightest red salvia available, the southeastern gardener trying to grow xeric Texas-Mexico salvias in real Carolina humidity, the collector building a serious \u003cem\u003eSalvia\u003c\/em\u003e collection, or anyone who wants to grow a piece of Rich Dufresne's quiet legacy in their own garden.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44908016435315,"sku":"SALV-GREG-CHER-QUEE-01G","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/Salviagreggii_CherryQueen_Woodlanders.png?v=1777501047","url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/products\/salvia-greggii-cherry-queen","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}