A FEW OLD FAVORITES 135 



as borders. There are other salvias, however, 

 that have charming light blue flowers. The plant 

 in the ordinary gardens is grown, of course, only 

 for its flowers, yet there is a species, known as 

 Salvia sonomensis, or Salvia ramona, that is 

 abundant on some of the hillsides in California, 

 and that is to all intents and purposes identical 

 with the cultivated sage. Its foliage has the 

 exact flavor of that of the cultivated plant. I 

 have at times thought of growing it to see if there 

 could not be developed from it a sage that would 

 be more valuable for seasoning than the one 

 under cultivation. The common sage runs into 

 numerous varieties, some woolly-leafed, some 

 golden-leafed, and some with tricolored leaves. 

 It is possible that by crossing this plant with 

 the wild variety, great improvement would be 

 made in the unique quality for which its leaves 

 are prized. From the present standpoint, of 

 course, our interest in the salvias concerns their 

 flowers. I have done much experimenting with 

 various members of the family, both in the way 

 of selection and of combination. The plants are 

 variable, even within the same species, and the 

 various forms run more or less together, so that 

 it is difficult differentiating them botanically, 

 But the contract between the species bearing blue 

 flowers and the familiar garden plant with its 



