33 Popular Types of Salvia Plants to Grow

A very popular cultivar of this hybrid is ‘May Night’ (‘Mainacht’), which blooms with blue-violet flowers from May to June. Texas sage (Salvia coccinea) is another red-flowered salvia, but there are also cultivars of it with pink and coral blooms. Mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea) comes in a variety of blue, purple, and lavender cultivars, including the popular ‘Victoria Blue’ and ‘Evolution’. The species has bright scarlet flowers, but some cultivars offer white, salmon, pink, lavender, burgundy, and orange blossoms.

Is salvia deer resistant?

• It has a long bloom time, showing off its clusters of purple flowers all summer long.
• Be sure to plant it where you can walk by and brush the foliage to release its herbal, pine-like scent.
• This fast-growing, fragrant plant supplies startlingly red flowers in late summer to fall.
• It’s an excellent salvia plant for growing as an annual in containers, especially in northern areas.

Many members of Salvia have trichomes (hairs) growing on the leaves, stems and flowers, which help to reduce water loss in some species. Salvia species include annual, biennial, or perennial herbaceous plants, along with woody subshrubs. For the adventurous gardener, salvia cuttings can be taken in the spring or early fall. Their flowers come in a range of colors, including blue, pink, purple, red, and white. Part of the mint family (Lamiaceae), salvias provide colorful spikes of densely packed flowers with tubular blossoms atop square stems and velvety leaves. With a watchful eye and prompt action, you’ll keep your sage plants thriving and productive.

Soil and Water

For herbaceous perennials, remove dead stems back to the ground when new growth begins to emerge. Allow soil to dry out between waterings and irrigate when the top 2 inches of soil becomes dry. When growing in pots, use a high quality all-purpose potting mix. Choose a site with full sun to partial shade (at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun) and well-drained soil. Numerous garden-worthy cultivars and varieties have been produced, often with mixed or unknown parentage.

Follow these steps and space salvia plants 1 to 6 feet apart, depending on the variety. The tubular flowers, which have a long bloom time, are a favorite of beneficial insects, butterflies and hummingbirds. Salvia is a large genus of ornamental and culinary plants, with some 1,000 species worldwide. Buy salvia plants – Order online and have them shipped right to your door The flowers are produced in racemes or panicles, and generally produce a showy display with flower colors ranging from blue to red, with white and yellow less common. If not, your salvias likely should start growth by mid to late May, but this can depend on species–some emerge salvia trip explained later than others.

Blue salvia (Salvia azurea) is a stunning sage plant with vibrant blue blooms that invite bees and butterflies to your garden. ‘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. In spring to early summer, its highly aromatic lavender-purple flowers sit atop lush grey-green foliage and are attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds. An award-winning selection, ‘May Night’ salvia (Salvia x sylvestris ‘May Night’) offers spikes of deep blue-purple flowers in spring and early summer.

Growing Salvias: How to Care for Perennial Sage Plants

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. There are also annual and biennial types of salvias, and some are woody shrubs. This plant is a perennial that comes back each year in areas where it’s hardy. Blooming in early spring, tricolor sage reaches heights of 18 inches and loves full sun. However, despite its small size, Yugoslavian cut leaf sage still makes a strong statement in your garden. Giant purple desert sage (Salvia pachyphylla) is native to California and is very tolerant to both drought and heat.

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It blooms, but the white summertime flowers aren’t particularly significant, although they do attract bees and butterflies. An eye-catcher for the sunny garden, ‘Hot Lips’ salvia (Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’) features spikes of white flowers in summer. This biennial has lovely leaves the first year and then blooms with clusters of white flowers in summer the second year.

When to Plant Salvia

This salvia plant tolerates partial shade better than most varieties. Grown primarily for its foliage, tricolor sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’) combines the best features of other sages. Whether you grow it for its flavor or ornamental looks, it can easily be included with other perennials in borders or rock gardens. Variegated sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Icterina’) features gray-green leaves irregularly edged in chartreuse. Be sure to plant it where you can walk by and brush the foliage to release its herbal, pine-like scent.

Possibly the best-known species is the garden annual scarlet sage (S. splendens) from Brazil, the blazing spikes of which contrast with dark green oval leaves. Clary sage (S. sclarea), whose foliage is also used for flavouring, is a taller biennial herb with strong-smelling, hairy, heart-shaped leaves. In addition, some salvias are classified as woody-stemmed shrubs, some are deciduous plants that die to the ground during winter, and others are evergreen. Although Mexican bush sage typically has white flowers held in purple calyces, ‘Midnight’ is entirely purple. This colorful perennial features vivid violet-blue flower spikes over aromatic, mounded foliage, ideal for mass planting.

Unlike annual salvias, which will not return the following year, perennial salvias should show new growth each year. Depending on the variety, plants can be 18 inches to 5 feet tall, but many are suitable for containers, too. Part of the mint family (Lamiaceae), the genus Salvia includes about 960 species; many of the tender perennials are grown as annuals in cold regions. All salvias do best in full sun (6–8 hours of sunlight per day) and well-draining soil. “Salvia” and “sage” are often used interchangeably; we tend to use “salvia” for the ornamental plant and “sage” for the culinary herb.

Typically found on dry hillsides and in gravelly soils, purple sage (Salvia leucophylla) is rugged, easy to grow, and beautiful. To add more color to your garden, contrast this sage’s burgundy foliage with variegated ‘Tequila Sunrise’ coreopsis. Add bright summer-long color by growing this sage with ‘Oranges and Lemons’ gaillardia.

• Timing is key when it comes to planting sage.
• In spring, remove the oldest woody stems to encourage new growth.
• Sage loves sunshine and well-draining soil.
• A modern and comprehensive study of Salvia species was done by Gabriel Alziar, in his Catalogue Synonymique des Salvia du Monde (1989) (World Catalog of Salvia Synonyms).

How to Plant and Grow Salvia Flowers

If you love blue, you’ll love gentian sage (Salvia patens), a tender perennial with two-lipped blue flowers from summer to fall. Expand your garden’s color combinations with this plant; its flowers are several shades lighter than other blue salvias. ‘Cirrus’ (Salvia farinacea ‘Cirrus’) is a delightful salvia plant bearing spikes of pure-white flowers from spring to fall.

Is salvia a perennial?

Try something entirely different with silver sage (Salvia argentea), grown for its stunning fuzzy foliage. 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.

Whether in the garden or in a pot, a mulch of wood chips or small, rough-edged rock is highly recommended to not only protect the roots, but to help keep the soil temperature and moisture consistent. In pots, a mixture of ordinary garden soil mixed with perlite allows water to drain rapidly. If your soil is heavy, plant “proud”, or slightly higher than the surrounding grade. Most salvias will be happiest in a sunny spot with good drainage. (Learn more about the benefits of fall planting).

Is sage easy to grow?

It’s an excellent salvia plant for growing as an annual in containers, especially in northern areas. It displays silvery-green leaves edged in creamy white and blushed with purple. It produces purplish-blue flowers on spikes in late spring.