18 July 2009
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Salvia

Salvias offer a fantastic range of plants, from sages in the herb garden with attractively coloured leaves to the most intense, rich, beautifully coloured summer flowers on border perennials and annuals.

Recommended varieties

The word "salvia" comes from the Latin 'salvare', meaning to heal or save. Sage's long history of medicinal uses means it has been used for curing everything from colds to snake bites. It's well worth experimenting with different kinds of salvias, because you may find you can grow the not-quite-hardy perennials without any problem.

Hardy perennials

These come mainly in blues, running from pale violet to a deep, rich colour.

S. patens 'Cambridge Blue': electric blue flowers from mid-summer to mid-autumn, making a lively show in containers and borders. It isn't 100 per cent hardy and needs a protected winter site. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has given it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
S. pratensis: meadow clary has spikes of violet flowers through the first half of summer. The Haematodes Group might be short-lived plants, but they have lovely violet flowers with a lighter-coloured throat. They complement old roses such as Rosa gallica 'Versicolor' with its raspberry-striped blooms. The Haematodes Group has won the AGM.
S. x sylvestris 'Blaühugel': a marvellous show of pure blue flowers through the first half of summer. Its name translates as "blue mound" in recognition of its compact, free-flowering habit. 'Mainacht' has the deepest blue flowers and makes a nice contrast with yellow day lilies, brassy anthemis or deep burgundy penstemons. The RHS has given 'Blaühugel' its AGM.
S. uliginosa: azure-blue flowers are produced in late summer and autumn, but it needs a few twiggy sticks to stop it from becoming floppy and untidy. It likes moist soil and not too cold a position in winter. This plant isn't as hardy as the above two. It has been given the AGM, though.
S. verticillata: a beautiful violet-blue, this plant has enjoying much wider acclaim since the introduction of the new hybrid 'Purple Rain'. Its compact stems have whorls of purple flowers all summer and autumn, and it doesn't need staking.

Tender salvias

Most salvia types are native to Mexico, and have some of the showiest, most flamboyant colours. These are usually tender, but no more difficult to grow than marguerites or osteospermums.

S. discolor: in late summer and autumn, it has striking inky-black flowers, while silvery calyces protect the buds and accentuate the bloom.
S. leucantha: grown for its felt-like white stems and woolly flower spikes with purple calyces. It produces white flowers in late autumn that continue well into winter. Being vulnerable to frost, it's best grown in a large outside pot over the summer, before being brought into a greenhouse at the end of the season.

Annuals and biennials

S. argentea: a good foliage plant with rosettes of large leaves covered in soft, silvery hairs and white flowers. It's a short-lived hardy perennial, but is usually grown as a biennial. By the time it flowers the leaves have lost their silvery tint, although it's best left to self-seed. This plant will do so abundantly in gravel, or you can collect the seed and sow it the following spring in pots of gritty compost. The plant is AGM accredited.
S. coccinea: a good summer/autumn show of red flowers set against dark green leaves. Various annual forms are now available in purple, pink and white, 'Lady in Red' being one of the best. The RHS has given this variety its AGM.
S. sclarea: the branched stems carry creamy lilac to pink or blue flowers through spring and summer. A biennial, it can grow to at least 90cm (3ft) and has huge, green, aromatic leaves. Stake early in the year. The white S. sclarea var. turkestanica has larger bracts and comes true from seed.