Salvia Is A Broad-Ranging Genus, But These Tips Can Help You Grow Them Successfully

Whether you are cultivating an edible landscape, or a purely ornamental one, Salvias can be good choices for many gardens.

From well-known culinary sage, to pretty flowering salvias in a range of colours, this genus provides many options for UK gardeners.

For these salvia guides, we’ve partnered with:

• Lyndi Garnett – Coordinator of the Victorian Salvia Study Group.
• Vicki Weston – Owner of Weston’s Salvias.

“Salvias are versatile plants that are generally easy to grow in most soils,” says Lyndi.

“They have long-flowering times and come in a variety of colours.”

This is such a broad-ranging genus that there is no way to cover them all in just one guide.

However, to help you get started with choosing Salvias, we’ve developed this exploration of some of the different types of Salvia you might like to grow, along with some care and growing tips to help you cultivate them successfully.

Overview

Salvia actually belongs to the Lamiaceae (Mint) family.¹

Commonly referred to as ‘sage’, this is one of a number of genera referred to in this way.

It includes the common culinary herb sage, as well as a range of other edible and ornamental types.

Why Grow Salvias?

“I cannot walk past salvias without buying one,” shares Kate Gould, award-winning garden designer.

“I don’t know why. I make a beeline for them whenever I’m in a garden – they’re my kryptonite.”

Here are some reasons that you might grow salvia.

Edible Yields

Salvias might provide an edible yield – and choosing those which do provide something of value to you can help you make the most of the space available to you.

Whether or not they are useful to human gardeners – all salvias can be beneficial for wildlife with which you share your space.

Wildlife Benefits

Salvias have beautiful blooms that are beloved by a range of key pollinators like bees, lepidoptera and other beneficial insects.

They often also bloom over a relatively long period.

Of course, since they attract pollinators and boost biodiversity, bringing wildlife also brings value for you, as a gardener – greater biodiversity brings greater stability, making your garden more resilient.

This makes it easier to garden in an organic, eco-friendly way – and of course ensuring there are plenty of pollinators around can ensure good yields of fruits etc. that you cultivate in your garden.

Long Blooming Period

There is of course a lot of variety, though most Salvia will bloom between June and October.

Choosing several different varieties could mean that there is plenty of nectar around for insects to enjoy in your garden throughout the summer and, with certain varieties, well into the autumn too.

The blooming period of salvias also means they add visual appeal in a garden over a long period.

“The flowering period can vary from a few weeks to all year round,” says Lyndi.

Pest Resistance

Salvias are relatively easy to grow, and are usually seldom bothered by problems with pests or diseases.

This can make them good choices (especially hardy varieties) for a low-maintenance garden that won’t take much work.

How To Grow Salvia

All Salvia will tend to do well in full sun, and will thrive with a south-facing aspect, but there are also several types that can cope with dappled or partial shade.

Soil Requirements

In terms of soil type, there are Salvia suited to a range of conditions, though they will do best in free-draining conditions and most will struggle in areas with heavy clay.

“If you live on a heavy, cold clay, you must incorporate lots of grit into your planting hole,” says Vicki.

Many varieties can cope with drought, so can be part of xeriscaping plans, and will cope quite well in free-draining soils even when they are poor and relatively low in nutrients.

Where To Grow

Salvias can be useful plants not only in poor soils and dry areas – they can also be useful in coastal gardens, and other situations that can be tricky for many other plants.

“Some salvias like the shade, others prefer the sun, so you can usually find a salvia for any position in the garden,” Lyndi says.

In terms of aesthetics, Salvia can work well in many garden schemes, from the sunny fringes of a naturalistic woodland or forest garden, to a kitchen or herb garden, to gardens with an exotic, or tropical, feel.

They can also look good in-amongst wildflowers and ornamental grasses in a sunny border.

However, though some hardy varieties can remain in the garden over the winter months, it is important to recognise that tender types are best grown in containers.

Growing tender Salvias in pots means that you will easily be able to move them under cover before the first frosts in your area.

Salvia Plant Care

How much and exactly what care they will need depends on which varieties you have chosen to grow.

However, generally speaking, these are relatively low-maintenance and hassle-free plants.

Watering

Under-watering is usually less of a problem with Salvias than over-watering, especially where drainage is less than optional – so less is usually more.

“Water until established and when we have one of our seemingly much more frequent overheating summer moments,” says Vicki.

Feeding

Salvias grown in the ground will typically not require any feeding at all, but Lyndi does recommend mulching: “You can regularly feed your salvias to keep them healthy. If they’re growing in the ground, mulch well to keep the root area cool.”

However, if you grow them in containers, it could be a good idea to feed a potash-rich ‘tomato feed’ type organic liquid fertiliser in the summer months.

Composting Annuals

If you are growing annual varietals, at the end of the season you will lift them and put them on your compost heap prior to the first frost.

References

1. Salvia. (n.d.). Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30000096-2