This first significant book on the subject covers more than 100 beautiful, garden-worthy species and dozens of hybrids. Salvias are growing in popularity because of their diversity of fragrance, bloom, habit, and color, and many add drought tolerance and disease resistance to their ornamental qualities.

Betsy Clebsch is a noted amateur botanist and horticulturist in Northern California, having made and tended five gardens in Virginia, Texas, and California. Clebsch has participated in a number of plant explorations and regularly exchanges seed and rare plants, particularly salvias, with many botanical gardens.