Deadheading is important to encourage repeat blooming. Most varieties of salvia are drought tolerant once established, but they’ll look better with occasional water. Salvias are especially nice for growing along paths because of the way they spill over and soften the edges. Use them along your home’s foundation or as part of mixed perennial borders. The stems are square and have narrow, velvety green leaves.
One of the longest-blooming salvia plants is ‘Raspberry Delight’ (Salvia greggii ‘Raspberry Delight’). It’s wonderfully heat- and drought-tolerant, bearing clusters of lavender-purple flowers all summer over evergreen silvery foliage. For added contrast, plant this salvia with the daisy-shaped flowers of ‘Pixie Meadowbrite’ purple coneflower. This sage bears all the great attributes of its sister pineapple salvia plant but notches up the impact with its bright golden-chartreuse foliage.
PerennialsDiscover the right perennial plants for your garden.
This fast-growing, fragrant plant supplies startlingly red flowers in late summer to fall. It bears fuzzy green foliage on a well-branched, upright plant and blooms from summer to fall. In container gardens, it is often used as a filler that provides a mass of flowers and foliage against larger plants. A favorite plant for many gardeners, blue salvia (Salvia farinacea) is an easy perennial to grow. The more than 900 different salvia plants include garden sage (Salvia officinalis), the culinary herb used to flavor and garnish food. Use this guide to find the best salvia plants for growing in your garden.
Greek sage (Salvia fruticosa) is an evergreen shrub with fragrant foliage in shades of silver and white. Black and blue sage (Salvia guaranitica) gets its name from its striking blue flowers and black stems. In addition to being easy to grow and care for, blue salvia, also known as pitcher sage, doesn’t have significant issues with insects or disease.
- Unlike annual salvias, which will not return the following year, perennial salvias should show new growth each year.
- Propagate sage through stem cuttings in spring when growth is active.
- In your area, it is best to just leave the stems alone until early spring—when the chance of frost has passed—and new growth begins.
- Diviner’s sage (S. divinorum), known colloquially as salvia, is a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico.
When to Plant Salvia
Some salvias often self-propagate, so you might find seedlings you can use in other parts of your landscape! Many varieties (typically those with light-colored flowers) will also do well in part-shade, but flowering will be reduced. Salvias are heat- and drought-tolerant, making them survivors in the summer garden. Salvia leaves’ distinctive, pungent odor acts as a repellent to garden pests.
Culinary Sage
Common sage (Salvia officinalis), the familiar culinary herb, is also a member of the Salvia genus. In very hot climates, this plant will appreciate a bit of afternoon shade. These hard workers bloom from June to frost. Salvias are most often perennials but can be annuals as well.
Planting Salvia
Do note that this plant is now illegal in some U.S. states and decriminalized in others. The plant has a long history of ceremonial use by the Mazatec tribes of southern Mexico. Diviner’s sage (Salvia divinorum) is rarely grown as an ornamental.
Keeping Your Sage Healthy
Find the right Salvia for your garden. Sage, a diverse member of the Salvia genus, offers a wealth of options for gardeners and cooks alike. If you don’t deadhead it, ‘Purple Knockout’ may self-seed, acting like a perennial groundcover.
Hummingbird Sage
It attracts birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds and it is Salvia Information easy to care for. It is drought-tolerant, making it an easy plant to care for. It is resistant to deer and rabbits and is best grown in pollinator, herb, butterfly, cottage, and edible gardens. Before growing it, always check your state laws.
When does salvia bloom?
These vigorous plants bear lance-shaped leaves and many spikes of purplish-blue blooms. Combine salvias alongside other plants with similar cultural needs of full sun and well-draining soil. Take care when choosing salvias because not all plants are hardy in all regions; some are best treated as annuals, but many perennial varieties are also available.
Purple Sage
This hybrid sage, discovered in Argentina, is an excellent choice for coastal California, as well as western Washington and Oregon. This easy-to-grow salvia from Mexico and southeastern Arizona is drought and deer tolerant. Deadheading and some extra watering can produce a second bloom. Recognized as Perennial Plant of the Year in 1997, May Night is a prolific bloomer. This variety has aromatic foliage that smells like pineapple and is mainly grown for its foliage. It attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees, and resists deer and rabbits.
While it’s not quite as tasty or hardy as its silvery-gray cousin, purple sage (Salvia leucophylla) offers more color in containers, beds, and borders. Although it’s a perennial, you’ll want to replace the plants after a few years when the stems become woody and sparse. The bracts on this summer-blooming biennial salvia are long-lasting and dry well, making it a good cut flower and useful in dried-flower crafts. It flowers profusely all summer, from late spring to frost, and tolerates periods of drought. Our guide profiles the prettiest salvias to grow in gardens.
- Native to areas of South America, it holds up to hot, humid conditions well, although it’s not as drought-tolerant as many other salvias.
- Picking the right spot for your salvia can make a difference in how well the plant grows and flowers.
- Gray-green leaves that are up to 4 inches long are paired on this plant’s square stems.
- With a watchful eye and prompt action, you’ll keep your sage plants thriving and productive.
- Gentian sage is most often treated as an annual in cooler climates but is usually a perennial.
The medium green, hairy leaves are roughly triangular in shape with scalloped edges. A standout selection bred in 1978, ‘Victoria Blue’ (Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’) is popular for its long-lasting flowers that are great for cutting. Here’s another extra-attractive member of the culinary sage group. The purplish, oblong leaves are intensely aromatic and may be used fresh or dried in cooking. It’s a key ingredient in many container-garden combinations, Thanksgiving stuffings, and even a few desserts.
Salvia – The Ultimate Growing Guide from Proven Winners®
Plant this salvia next to ‘Black and Blue’ for a colorful cottage garden look. It presents clusters of raspberry-red flowers all summer and fall. Native to California, giant purple desert sage (Salvia pachyphylla) is rarely grown in gardens, although it deserves to be. Instead of thin spikes, ‘Plumosa’ salvia (Salvia nemorosa ‘Plumosa’) bears large purple plumes from early to late summer. ‘May Night’ salvia and ‘Pomegranate’ yarrow make a fuss-free, long-blooming combination that butterflies adore. Like most salvia plants, it’s left alone by deer and rabbits and is a long-lasting cut flower.
However, garden sage has a few attractive ornamental varieties itself. Looking to add a splash of color and a whole lot of buzz to your garden? The flowering stems bear small bracts, dissimilar to the basal leaves—in some species the bracts are ornamental and showy. The common modern English name sage derives from Middle English sawge, which was borrowed from Old French sauge, from Latin salvia (the source of the botanical name).
Giant purple desert sage (Salvia pachyphylla) is native to California and is very tolerant to both drought and heat. It brings hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies to gardens. It loves full sun and has stunning coral and white trumpet flowers. Coral nymph salvia (Salvia coccinea ‘coral nymph’) is an easy-growing, bushy annual that reaches heights between 2-3 feet.
Salvia is a large genus of plants with more than 1000 species. Depending on the variety, they can bloom from late spring through fall. Wait until new growth emerges in spring to cut back or prune salvias. Site alongside other plants with similar growing needs of full sun and good drainage. Ornamental salvia and culinary garden sage (Salvia officinalis) are in the same genus.
The blossoms are unusually attractive and profuse, making this salvia plant a favorite for late-season container gardens. Some gardeners grow this salvia plant in containers and overwinter them indoors. The lavender-blue flowers bloom on spikes in June.