Perennial Salvias (also known as “sage”) are mainstays of the midsummer garden border—blooming summer to autumn! Planted in the spring, these aromatic beauties are great for cutting and beloved by bees and butterflies—plus, they’re drought-tolerant! See how to plant, grow, and care for Salvia.
Part of the mint family (Lamiaceae), salvias appear as a colorful spike of densely-packed flowers with tubular blossoms atop square stems and velvety leaves.
The common kitchen herb garden sage—Salvia officinalis—is actually a type of salvia; it’s a relative of the many ornamental species and has a few attractive ornamental varieties itself.
Hummingbirds and butterflies love salvia’s tubular flowers and they’re adored by bees, too, so plant them if you wish to attract these pretty pollinators!
Fortunately, salvia does not tend to attract deer or rabbits. It is the distinctive, pungent odor of their leaves that acts as a repellent to garden pests.
Salvia are heat- and drought-tolerant, making them survivors in the summer garden. They grow 18 inches to 5 feet tall, depending on the variety.
Salvias of all types can be grown in containers, too.
Take care when choosing salvias, because not all plants are hardy in all regions; some are best treated as annuals, but perennial varieties are also available.
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
Salvia
I am looking for a plant that has bright red foliage/flowers that I need to put next to a space that is about 18 inches tall; which species of salvia grows to only 18 to 24 inches tall?
Types of Salvia
Wood Sage (Salvia x sylvestris) grows 18 to 24 inches in zones 4 to 8. A very popular cultivar of this hybrid is ‘May Night’ (Mainacht), which blooms with blue-violet flowers from May to June. Another good cultivar is ‘Pink Dawn’, a shorter plant (18 inches) with pink flowers.
transplanting salvia in june
can I successfully transplant salvia from one spot in my garden to another, sunnier spot?
Its June 3rd, salvia has flowered and actually "flattened-out" from the rains we've been having
Salivia Nemorosa "May Night"
Hello-first comment on Farmer's Almanac. :)I planted this type of Salvia last season. It has returned this season, but I noticed that that it doesn't have much foliage yet but it is getting flower buds already. Should I pinch those off to encourage it to focus on foliage development before letting it flower?
foliage failure
This plant, like most, has few problems when it has the proper conditions. If the plant is getting leggy, try cutting back to newly developed foliage. Be aware that it may rebloom in fall, but with fewer and smaller flowers. Also be aware than potential diseases include crown and root rot, usually a result of too much moisture. It needs full sun, good air circulation, and well draining soil.
Hot lips Salvia
I planted a hot lip salvia in the ground a couple months ago. It presently has an abundance of flowers on it. How do I care for it in the winter? Can I leave it in the ground? I live in zone 5a which we get snow and below freezing conditions. Thank you, Diana
Salvia 'Hot Lips' Winter Care
‘Hot Lips’ salvia is said to be winter hardy in zones 7 and warmer (or zone 6 with winter protection), so it would be a struggle to keep yours alive outdoors in zone 5a. I think your best bet is to dig it up and put it in a pot for winter. You can cut back the foliage, leaving an inch or two of stem. Once it’s in the pot, keep the plant in a cool place such as a garage or basement—it should be allowed to rest while indoors. Keep the soil moist but be careful of overwatering.
Plan on planting it back outdoors once the danger of frost has passed in mid to late spring. Or, if the pot is big enough, keep it as a potted plant through summer!
How to grow Salvia seeds??
Do you have any suggestions on growing from seed in Zones 5 + 6?
Salvia from Seed
Salvia are fairly easy to grow, thankfully! Just be sure to keep them well watered while they’re young seedlings, especially as hot summer temperatures arrive.
Salvia
My salvia plug plants a very strong but all of the new leaves coming through are yellow. They are all strong butt the older leaves are dark green!
why yellow leaves?
Plant leaves often turn yellow from overwatering or soil that holds too much water (doesn’t drain). However, it also could be due to poor soil conditions. For example, it may be a lack of nitrogen (the N in NPK, on a fertilizer package). You can add organic compost to the soil. It could also be poor / too high a soil pH (acidity/alkalinity). Do a pH test and adjust accordingly; see here for more details: https://www.almanac.com/plant-ph
Hope this helps!
watering salvias in hot, dry mountain area
They say these need to be watered regularly but mine are all dying back and turning black. I must be doing something wrong. Seems they do better with little water during the summer.
Salvia care
Thank you for the helpful info on caring for Salvias. My plants are attracting many pollinators including honey bees, bumble bees, butterflies, and humming birds.
Your website
Just found this. It's awesome! Thank you for such succinct and practical information.