Salvias are a sage buy
Lovely show of colours from a myriad types of these long-flowering annuals
Colouring the garden is quickly achieved with flowering annuals. But after putting on their show they become spent and need to be pulled from the soil.
Salvias have a long flowering season from spring to autumn — some are perennials and others are grown as bedding plants.
All may be depended on to perform well and are easy to grow. They just need sunshine or semi-shade depending on the cultivar you choose, and well-draining soil.
If I were to suggest investing in new plants, right now, the top of the nursery shopping list would be a selection of different types of salvias.
The salvia or sage family has more than 1,000 species in the genus, so it is not surprising that I have five different types of salvia in my garden.
Each is different with lots of tubular flowers borne on long or short length spikes. They all provide an equally lovely show of colours — in furry purple and white, cerise pink, red, very deep blue and royal blue.
There are salvias to satisfy every requirement of your landscape.
Depending on the budget, remember to buy more than one plant of the same kind or colour.
Three or five of the same plant will enable you to follow the garden design advice of planting in odd numbers and repeating the plant around the garden to create rhythm and unity in the scheme.
Planted en masse (a whole group together) creates a block of colour.
I have Salvia Rockin’ Deep Purple (purple, almost navy blue, flowers) and Salvia Rockin’ Fuchsia, which bear cerise coloured flowers. They are in flower at the moment.
There is another with long red flowers born on spires and the furry leafed Salvia leucantha. I am waiting for it to produce its furry purple flowers.
I see popping up from last season’s planting is a collection of smallish perennial salvia which have royal blue flowers.
Summer-flowering salvia splendens, with which we are most familiar as a striking annual with flowers spires resembling fiery darts of bright colour, are available in dwarf and tall varieties. They are grown as an annual or bedding plant.
The plants are heat resistant and perform well in both the sun and partial shade. Flowers of red, burgundy, salmon, cream or lavender appear on erect spires which have the appearance of little flames of fire.
Grow them in the sun for a strong block of colour or in rows to grab your attention along a pathway.
Sow the seed now in spring and expect blooms in 10 to 12 weeks’ time. Or buy seedlings for more instant results. Pinch out the growth tip to encourage bushier growth.
A landscaper friend often uses the perennial salvia “mystic sphires” in his gardens.
It grows to about 50cm and is appreciated for its deep blue flowers which make an impact when grown together, especially when planted beside lime green or grey foliaged plants. It is sold in trays of six plants.
Woolly leaved sage (Salvia dolomitica) has dark maroon flower bracts bearing pale lilac flowers with grey foliage. It grows to a height of 1.5m.
The Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) grows to 1.5m forming clumps of furry purple bracts bearing mauve/white flowers throughout summer.
“Midnight” has purple flowers; white and pink flowering salvias are also available.
Once the flowers are spent and the foliage is lost, cut back the old stems to encourage new growth to form. They are easily divided by pulling apart the new growth at root level.
There are always plants on one’s “Wish to acquire list”. One of mine is the Blue Sage or Salvia chamelaeagnea, which might not look like a garden “pretty”, but on crushing its soft light green leaves between your fingers you will be persuaded to think it’s “heaven scent”.
The leaves emit a lemony fragrance so lovely that it makes one wonder why it has not yet been bottled as a perfume.
It bears pale blue flowers, is fairly fast growing (reaching a height of 1.5m), much branched and its sprawling habit makes it suitable for use as a ground cover. It needs pruning to keep the plant neat.
The shrub’s sign in Kirstenbosch Gardens says a tea made of this plant is an “Old Cape remedy for coughs and colds”.
Blue flowered sage (Salvia Africana — caerulea) is similar to the above plant, grows to 2m and bears blue flowers. Plant it in full sun and prune in winter.
In our once-seaside garden across the road from the beach, we grew beach salvia (Salvia africana-lutea), which is a tough, water-wise shrub. It sports lime greenish yellowy flowers which become coppery brown as they mature and are similar in shape to a small snapdragon.
The shrub is fast growing and quickly reaches a height of 1.5m. Its curly grey leaves are useful as an alternate foliage colour in a flower arrangement.
Beach salvia is indigenous to the coastal regions stretching from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape. It has all the attributes needed to grow in salt-laden air.
The shrub thrives in a soil that has compost added and should have good drainage. Some species have sky-blue flowers.
The sage we grow in the herb garden which is useful for adding to roast chicken stuffing is called Salvia officinalis. As its use as a herb to add flavour to the pot is limited, plant it in the usual garden.
Its furry sword shaped leaves are grey green, offering interest to a mixed border as they contrast with other leaf colours.
Salvia officinalis Variegata has green and gold leaves while the leaves of Tricolor are grey-green with splashes of pink and white. All bear blue purple flowers in summer.
It can be grown in full sun and semi-shade in any well-draining soil. The variegated plants prefer a semi-shaded spot.
In the Garden is written by feature writer, garden enthusiast and former teacher Julia Smith, who has returned home to live in Chintsa East. The column looks to inform both novice and accomplished gardeners on how to make the most of their green patches.