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More Salvia for Your Garden

© Barbara M. Martin

Please note: Thank you for visiting my Cottage Garden topic and reading my columns, published here from February 1997 through spring 2003! This Cottage Garden column was written by Barbara M. Martin and is Copyrighted, including any photos, by Barbara M. Martin. It may not be altered or copied or published elsewhere in whole or in part without specific permission from the author. I regret I am no longer actively editing or contributing to this suite101.com topic as of mid-2003. Happy Gardening!

Salvia officinalis or sage is herb of the year this year, and that is a wonderful choice indeed. However, there are many other types of salvia to grow in the garden besides the "common" one.

There are so many salvias, ranging from the cottage gardener's self seeding biennial Clary Sage with pink or white or blue flowers, to the more exotic and less hardy relatives with hot pink and dayglo orange blooms, to toweringly tall true-blue flowered cousins! For a more in depth discussion of the general types and categorization of some of the hundreds of individually named salvias, check this Factsheet on Sage.

For the gardener who prefers to grow a plant with exotic flowers and bright colors, keep the less hardy sages in mind, expecially if you have a hot, dry and sunny garden or Mediterranean-like conditions. Take a look at the stunningly gorgeous color photos of these assorted specialty sages in bloom. (If that page is slow to load, try the text version with links to photos here.)

Remember that these are not Salvia officinalis, but other types of salvia. Now make sure to check their hardiness zone before you set your heart on them! Indigo Spires, for instance, may grow over six feet tall and is an eye catcher in the garden, but sadly it is not hardy below about 20 degrees F. It may be spectacular, but in my area, these are grown as fall blooming annuals and need to be wintered over indoors!

Hence my preference for some of the smaller and less imposing but hardier perennial salvias such as "East Friesland" and "May Night" and the ultra dependable annuals with true blue flower spikes such as Salvia farinacea "Victoria Blue". This particularly prolific bloomer even dries well for everlasting arrangements. (Drying instructions.)

And by all means don't forget the cheerful verve of the hot red salvias of bedding plant fame, perfect for red, white and blue color schemes and often teamed with ultra bright petunias, marigolds and zinnias for a fiery summer display.

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