Salvias Get No Respect

Salvias are among the most overlooked summer annuals. Many gardeners only know them to come in striking red or lovely blue, but today's salvias come in a number of other colors as well. Best of all, they also perform great in our climate. Writing from experience, my salvias outperformed everything in my garden, rivaling impatiens as far as blooming until Halloween!

Is it any wonder then that 1999 has been proclaimed the Year of the Salvia by the National Garden Bureau? This non-profit educational organization representing the North American home garden seed industry annually proclaims a flower and vegetable of the year. In next week's column, I'll discuss the featured vegetables.

Salvias are most readily available as already-started bedding plants at nurseries starting in late spring and running through early fall. For more of a choice, you can also start them by seed ordering through mail-order seed companies. While the genus Salvia contains at least 900 species, common types are scarlet sage (Salvia splendens) and the common garden sage (Salvia officinalis).

Common garden sages are taller growing salvias that feature dozens of pale to medium blue flower spikes. Plants, including the flower spikes, usually grow around two feet high and are commonly used as background plants. Another relatively common garden sage is one called "Tricolor," which has leaves variegated with white and purple-red.

Meanwhile, scarlet sage -- like its name -- usually is the brightest scarlet red you'll ever see. It will stand out in any garden. However, Salvia splendens are much shorter than common garden sages. These salvias are dwarf and, while bright red is still the most popular, now come in a variety of colors. In fact, Goldsmith Seeds, one of the world's largest wholesale hybridizers of flowers based in Gilroy, California, offers a salvia series called "Salsa." It comes in an astounding 10 separate colors from salmon and purple to bicolor variations.

Besides their color, salvias are relatively care-free and somewhat drought-resistant. While you'll need to water them to get established, irrigation can be greatly reduced once they're growing. One warning: snails love salvias. You'll need to bait regularly until plants are established. Plants are not messy, but you may want to cut off spent blooms to keep plants from branching and to increase blooming.

Salvias are just as much at home in containers as in the ground. Remember, anything planted in a container will need more water and fertilizer than if planted in the ground. Salvias mix easily with other flowers, especially when combined in containers. You might want to try red Salvia splendens intermixed with trailing blue lobelia.

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