Got to love ’em

Pictured are varied types and hybrids of Salvia

Salvia (Sage) should be the poster child for an easy, low water requiring perennial. It is one of the best border plants for our semi-arid area (S.F. Bay Area) and comes in many sizes, colors and growth habits. Salvia is a wide spread perennial and can be found in perennial borders around the U.S. and abroad.

I have always wanted to design a garden using predominantly Salvias with a few companion plants like Roses and Lavender. That is how varied these plants are- you could create a whole garden with just Salvia hybrids. I did end up getting to do it finally at my Mother’s home in San Rafael, California. Her hillside property has lots of sun and drains pretty well due to the slopes. The many Deer that come to the garden ignore the Salvias, so I got to plant lots of different types. I love the fragrance of the foliage too. It varies with the different hybrids making it fun to pick leaves as I walk or work through the garden and breath in the scent.

Salvias also have annual forms which are great long term color for hot areas. Wonderful as potted plants blooming in late spring and again in fall. Where I live now in Los Angeles, we have wonderful annual Salvia that my grand-daughter grew from seed- they have lasted for several seasons in the mild climate here. They are a form of Salvia splendens that bloom in red, coral and white.

The colors tend to be intense i.e. hot pink, red and varied blues. The trumpet shaped flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds and bees providing food for them over at least 6 months. Hummingbirds especially love the red colored flowers.

The one thing you should know about caring for Salvia is that it should be pruned back, usually hard, after blooming or in the winter. You will often see the new growth sprouting from the base, so all the old top growth can be trimmed off in spring. The native Sages and very woody types for dry hillsides don’t need such a hard pruning. Prune back any leggy foliage and old flowers in fall and 4-6″ of the foliage in the winter.

They like some water but can take dry periods between watering quite well. Salvias do vary in water needs, sun exposure preference and ability to with stand freeze so check ‘Sunset Western Garden Book’ for tips and info. Many of my plants that were damaged by freeze came back from the base so it is worth trying the tropical forms, where they have some protection i.e. tree or eave cover.

Oh yeah, Salvia has a culinary form too. You can use the hybrids as an herb but for good flavor, use the Sage labeled for use as an herb. Some of the bush forms taste nasty.
Salvias have little trouble from bugs and the deer and rabbits tend to leave them alone too- yippee.

I put a Salvia blog in this month because they are great fall color- they tend to like the warm, dry months. Many Salvias bloom twice- spring and fall.

Hope you will try growing some and if you have them already, this will encourage you to notice them even more or try some of the other hybrids and species. Enjoy!

Did you know that Salvias or Sages are one of the plants that Deer avoid eating? Deer and sometimes Rabbits avoid eating plants with strongly scented leaves i.e. lavender, rosemary, nepeta, oregano and sage. I wrote an EBook about gardening in Deer Country and also developed an extensive list of plants that Deer avoid (a deer list). Check out my EBook page by clicking the link above for resources to help you succeed in Deer and Rodent infested areas.