Salvia -Beautiful & Versatile

Ahhhh,  the Salvia.  No Cottage garden would be complete without this lovely perennial. The colours are vibrant  (blue, mauve, cerise, pink, red, white and orange) & there are so many varieties, suitable for all climates, as the Salvia has originated from all over the world. Most love full sun & part shade, but there are the salvias that tolerate cold temperatures & frost.

The Salvia is easy to grow & cultivate. They can be grown from cuttings (yay). They attract bees, butterflies & birds to your garden. Some have a wonderful scent. Most Salvias will bloom all year round, & some are extra showy in Autumn. You only need to give them a hard prune in Winter to encourage new growth in Spring. Sage is a form of Salvia.

There are 900 species of Salvia, the largest genus in the Mint family (Laminaceae). They vary in height, from 30cms (Bonfire) to 3 metres tall & wide, with tall spires of flowers. The BEST thing about Salvias that most will thrive in dry conditions, but will also tolerate wet, wet conditions too.

Salvia farinacea

Salvias teamed with yellow yarrow.

Winter Growing Options

Many Salvias will wind down in Winter - a sign to cut them back to ground level, but there is a group of cool climate Salvias that grow strongly through Autumn & Winter.
Many of these varieties are large (up to 2.5m's). If you plant these among the Summer/Spring varieties, you will have a constant array of flowers all year round.
One such variety  is the fruit scented sage (dorisiana).

Gardening Ideas

Salvias can be planted individually, or as mass plantings to create a block of colour, or as path edging (plant the aromatic ones so you can brush against them). Bonfire & Victoria Blue are often planted this way. Plant with ornamental grasses or tall growing perennials like gaura, dahlia, rudbeckia and plectranthus.



Top Choices

Mexican Sage

S. elegans - Pineapple Sage:   It has spires of red flowers for months. The flowers are very attractive to birds. It is frost hardy but remains more compact in colder climates.

S. leucantha - Mexican Sage: thrives in low water gardens, masses of velvety white purple tipped flowers. Partially frost tolerant

Waverley: a great starting out Salvia as it is hardy & has a huge array of  mauve flowers. Grows to 1.2m &is happy in full sun or shade.

Wendys Wish - a newish plant, only discovered in 2008. It is tolerant to temperatures of -2. A compact bush with cerise flowers.

Hot Lips

Indigo Spires: Spires of purplish blue flowers, hardy & perfect for the beginner garden. When stems reach 20cms, pinch back to create a denser bush.

S x jamensis -Hot Lips: A small, tough, & hardy perennial that has masses of red tipped white flowers - 60cms.

Wendys Wish

Salvia Care:

Varies with each plant, but as the flowers fade, the plant will need a good prune, by a 3rd at least, or create a ball shape. This will encourage more flowers.
When the plant is looking straggly, look for any new shoots & cut back to that height. Give the plant a good feed to help it recover & it won't take long for the flowers to be back.
Every 2-4 years, dig the plant up with a fork, use a sharp spade to cut into 2 to 3 plants. Tidy up the dead wood & replant.





Enjoy

Gardenia Trellis