Planting salvias
To some, salvias are considered delicate, romantic and sophisticated, yet resilient and long flowering.
Salvias have so many qualities we look for in a flowering plant. Many varieties are aromatic that attract both bees and butterflies alike. They provide a variety of bloom shapes, colours and fragrance.
As for colours, they come as richly varied as a tapestry — from indigo to scarlet red or even yellow. To be showy, salvias need companion plants in the background to reveal their real beauty. This setting requires some experience in landscaping work to give the impressive look.
The name’s origin came from Latin salvere, meaning healthy and feel well where the verb salus would bring the curing or herb’s healing power. The plant can be annual, biannual or perennial. The origins
Salvias or sags — as they are popularly known by many — are a large group of 900 species found throughout the world except Australasia regions.
These varieties are divided into two groups – old world and new world from the Americas.
Salvias are semi-tropical plants that prefer warm and humid environments like ours here.
Stemming from the mint family laminaceae, their main characteristic is being able to grow as a thick and hollow stem with foliage that rest around the stem.
Some have square stems and velvety leaves. The blooms rest atop the foliage in clusters, making them very attractive. Common salvias
Salvias come in many forms — shrubby, rosette forming from those annual, perennial and biennial varieties. Annual Salvias
Scarlet (Salvia coccinea) has a bright red flower on 10-inch spikes that can be showy for landscape work.
Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) has bright red edible flowers and leaves with pineapple fragrance.
Bedding sage (S spenders) with various colours like red, purple, orange lavender yellow and white. They have heartshaped leaves. Propagation
Salvias are replanted, using seeds and cuttings, depending on the verities. We can sow seeds indoors in moist seeding starting mix and have bright light. Most gardeners get ready seedlings from nurseries that are available as bedding plants. Harvesting
Clip off salvia branches after the flowers fade to ensure steady production of new flowering spikes. Salvias make good shortlived cut flowers for garden bouquets. Perennial Salvias
Azure sage has an aromatic foliage and sky-blue flowers.
Hybrid sage has a perfect choice for cooler region that can be cut and regenerate new plants.
Peruvian sage has grey green leaves on the top and white underside. The flowers are in dark purple. Growing guides
Salvias should be planted in semi-shade or be able to receive enough sunlight for a few hours at least and the ground should be well drained.
The best soil depth is one to two feet for longer term growth. The soil medium is best mixed with compost to give it the natural microbes living the soil.
Now dig a planting hole twice the size of the seedling bags and fill it with compost. Space the plant one to three feet apart, depending on your variety.
Fill around the base of the plant with soil and firm it gently before watering thoroughly. Maintenance
Add a layer of mulch around the plant to retain moisture and control weeds.
Keep soil moist throughout the growing season. Remove faded blooms to encourage continues blooming.
Divide the perennial variety for new growing or update it for new growth and continuous blooming in a bush like island of flowers. Pests and diseases
The plants may be subjected to infestation by aphids, spidermites and white flies. Diseases can be leaf powdery mildew, botrytis blight and root rot.
The ancient Greeks and Romans used salvias as a memory enhancer since they knew the healing property of “salvere.”
Happy gardening again!