Hummingbirds and butterflies love this plant’s two-lipped bright red flowers that appear in stunning contrast to its yellow leaves in fall. 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. Be sure to plant it where you can walk by and brush the foliage to release its herbal, pine-like scent.

Environmental Benefits of Salvia

It will just bloom, and bloom and bloom all season without stopping. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees all love it, which makes it a great plant for pollinator gardens. Contrast this variety’s rich blue flowers and upright habit with a silvery skirt of trailing licorice plant. Its stunning array of blue flowers attracts birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds. While it doesn’t struggle with any major disease or pest problems, do keep an eye out for slugs. Mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea) comes in a variety of blue, purple, and lavender cultivars, including the popular ‘Victoria Blue’ and ‘Evolution’.

• The Plant List has 986 accepted species names.20 A selection of some well-known species is below.
• Plant this salvia next to ‘Black and Blue’ for a colorful cottage garden look.
• These unique flowers grow in upright, spikey looking racemes that typically display shades of purple, but can also be found in white.
• The name Salvia is derived from the Latin word salvare, which means “to save” and refers to the plant’s life-saving medicinal properties.
• Golden delicious (Salvia rutilans) is a sister plant to the pineapple salvia plant.

Fun Facts About Salvia

Salvia can be a great addition to any landscape border or cottage garden, and can even thrive in a patio planter! There are many types of salvia, annual, perennial, and even herbs that are referred to as salvia. ‘Cirrus’ (Salvia farinacea ‘Cirrus’) is a delightful salvia plant bearing spikes of pure-white flowers from spring to fall. Like other forms of blue salvia, it shines with silvery foliage and adapts to different soil types. It’s a good selection for cutting and makes a beautiful accent when planted with deep blue flowers. Salvias (also called sages) are a diverse group of plants that offer colorful flowers, scents, and flavors.

Native Herbs to Grow This Season

The genus Salvia is actually quite large, containing hundreds of different species. Fortunately, many of these plants are similar in terms of their needs and requirements for growth. Instead of thin spikes, ‘Plumosa’ salvia (Salvia nemorosa ‘Plumosa’) bears large purple plumes from early to late summer. This compact selection is perfect for the middle of a flower border. For added contrast, plant this salvia with the daisy-shaped flowers of ‘Pixie Meadowbrite’ purple coneflower.

• Salvia cultivars have a wide range of sizes, from 1 to 5 feet tall.
• Salvias, also called sage, are part of the mint (Lamiaceae) plant family.
• Some salvias are perennial in most zones, coming back from year to year.
• These plants have similar habits of the other varieties, however ‘Lyrical White’ displays thicker spikes of wispy white flowers.
• Plant it with lavender to revel in a wonderful soft scent and bold, bright colors.

It is resistant to deer and rabbits and is best grown in pollinator, herb, butterfly, cottage, and edible gardens. Salvia is a large genus of plants with more than 1000 species. Salvias, also called sage, are part of the mint (Lamiaceae) plant family. Salvias are known for their strong, pleasant scent and long bloom times, some of which can go from late spring to fall. Salvias are most often perennials but can be annuals as well. Native to hot, dry climates in the Mediterranean, Asia, Central and South America, garden salvias are heat and drought tolerant, deer resistant, and low maintenance.

‘Evolution’ Salvia

Small stem segments can be placed directly into water, or into a moist potting medium, to begin this process. Under ideal conditions, you can expect salvia cuttings to begin taking root in as little as 2-4 weeks. Wait until new growth emerges in spring to cut back or prune salvias. Some salvias are perennial in most zones, coming back from year to year. Others are tender perennials in warmer climates, or can be annuals or biennials. If it’s not blooming or has not produced blooms following the turn of the weather, there could be a few environmental things to consider.

A standout selection bred in 1978, ‘Victoria Blue’ (Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’) is popular for its long-lasting flowers that are great for cutting. This salvia plant tolerates partial shade better than most varieties. It will attract butterflies to your garden from spring to fall. Each plant’s flowering period will vary depending upon the species. While some will bloom only once or twice each summer, others may persist throughout much of the growing season. Deadheading, or the removal of old flowers after they have faded, can be beneficial as a means to prolong the bloom period.

Get double the true-blue effect by growing gentian sage with leadwort. Long-blooming ‘Coral Nymph’ (Salvia coccinea ‘Coral Nymph’) is covered in spikes of coral-pink flowers from early summer to frost. 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.

Join gardening expert Jenna Rich for a harvesting basil how-to. In order to remove slugs and snails, you will have to find them in the morning or after dusk as this is when they are most prevalent. Simply remove them and place them in a bucket of soapy water. Salvia cultivars have a wide range of sizes, from 1 to 5 feet tall. Our commitment to delivering trustworthy and engaging content is at the heart of what we do.

Plants produce aromatic foliage and attractive flower spikes in colors of purple, blue, red, pink, coral or white from late spring to fall, depending on the variety. Here’s another extra-attractive member of the culinary sage group. Variegated sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Icterina’) features gray-green leaves irregularly edged in chartreuse. Whether you grow it for its flavor or ornamental looks, it can easily be included with other perennials in borders or rock gardens. Texas sage (Salvia coccinea) is another red-flowered salvia, but there are also cultivars of it with pink and coral blooms. ‘Summer Jewel Pink’, one of the prettiest salvias, is a smaller plant (20 inches) that blooms with dainty but profuse flowers from late spring to early fall.

Greek sage (Salvia fruticosa) is an evergreen shrub with fragrant foliage in shades of silver and white. Not only is Greek sage an excellent pollinator plant, but it also has medicinal Salvia Information and culinary uses. Golden delicious (Salvia rutilans) is a sister plant to the pineapple salvia plant. Adorned with red two-lipped flowers, golden delicious is adored by hummingbirds and butterflies.

The purplish, oblong leaves are intensely aromatic and may be used fresh or dried in cooking. Blue salvia (Salvia azurea) is a stunning sage plant with vibrant blue blooms that invite bees and butterflies to your garden. 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.

Several species are used as culinary herbs (sage, rosemary, pineapple sage), perfume (clary sage Salvia sclarea), and medicine (Salvia miltiorrhiza). The fruit type of sages is a small, dry, four-lobed fruit that breaks apart into four nutlets (schizocarp). The schizocarpic nutlets are usually regarded as “seeds” by the non-botanist. Chia “seeds” are the schizocarpic nutlets of chia (Salvia hispanica). The nutlets of some species, including chia, produce a mucilage when wetted.