Salvia dombeyi
I mentioned this, the most spectacular of all salvias, last week. I managed to find a plant but it soon died but I took a cutting and it has flourished. Despite the fact that I have coveted this plant for years I was, perhaps, a bit cavalier with its cultivation. This is because I use several salvias in the garden and they are easy to propagate and look after. It made me a bit blasé about salvias in general.
This species is a dreadful plant with quite dull, great-shaped leaves and lanky habit. It is best grown against a trellis or some sort of support where the drooping flowers can be shown off perfectly.
It is not frost-hardy but it does not like extreme heat. It comes from Southern Peru and La Paz in Bolivia but at elevations between 2700 and 3700 metres so it likes cool nights and will not tolerate being ‘baked’. It is considered rare in the wild but is firmly established in cultivation because of the amazing flowers which are the largest of any salvia. Even better, they are bright red and hairy and the calyx is deep purple, which shows off the flowers perfectly. The flowers are about 10cm long.
My young plant is now in a pot, facing west so it is sheltered from winds (as much as I can) gets late afternoon sun and is allowed to dry out a little before watering again. All the new shoots from the top of the plant are showing flower clusters. My worry now is that there will not be much in the way of cutting material but as soon as there is I will be taking them! I need to bulk up stock as much as possible.
For now, I will just look and enjoy the plant. It has been a roller coaster of a few weeks with my salvia and I need to enjoy the air time.
The Biking Gardener 
Yes, it is one we have also admired, a very striking flowering. We feel we can live without it but, no doubt, might be tempted should we come across it for sale somewhere.
I understand completely. It is not a good garden plant at all but a novelty.