A gardener’s guide to salvias

With the alternating rain, heat and dry spells, most gardens have experienced the stress of feast or famine with some plants thriving and others ailing.

Perennial salvias are among those that have come through with flying colours. They stand strong during periods of intense heat and drought. Even if the leaves wilt after a long dry spell, they quickly revive when watered.

The demand for plants with low-water needs has seen garden centres classify plants as onedrop (low water needs), two drop (medium water) or three drop (high water) so that gardeners can group plants accordingly.

Perennial salvia falls easily into the one-drop category. All they require is a sunny bed with ordinary garden soil that drains well. Feeding with a 5:1:5 fertiliser (like Vigorosa) once in spring, summer and autumn, will keep them flowering through to winter.

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Most salvia never seem to stop flowering and can be left to their own devices, but trimming does improve flowering and keeps the plant looking neat, especially the larger, bushy varieties. Hedge clippers work well; just don’t cut into bare woody stems.

Another bonus of perennial salvia is the profusion of flower spikes that attract butterflies, bees and nectar-seeking birds.

Salvia nemorosa, New Dimension, has purplish-blue or rose-coloured flowers that attract butterflies, bumble bees, honey bees, some solitary bees and even wasps. It is a low-growing (25cm tall) and hardy border plant that grows easily in normal, sandy or even clay soil. The compact, upright growth makes it suitable for containers.

This salvia was developed in the Netherlands and its sturdy spikes are also good cut flowers. Removing the faded blooms encourages repeat flowering. It is drought tolerant once established. Cut back hard after it has flowered to rejuvenate the bush and encourage a new flush of flowers.

Another good border salvia is the newly released Mysty, which is a compact version of Mystic Spires. It has the same true-blue flowers and dark green leaves but is 35% less vigorous, which makes it a better variety for mixed planting and containers. Plants grow 30cm to 46cm high and wide.

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Plants flower from late spring onwards and being so well-branched, it produces plenty of flower spikes. At the BallStraathof plant trials last November, both gardeners and the garden industry placed Mysty among the top 10 plants of their choice. It is also one of the most heat and drought tolerant of salvias.

For larger landscapes or the back of a border, Mystic Spires is a top performer. Its flower spikes reach up to 90cm and over the years it becomes a larger clump. Cutting it back regularly keeps it bushy and increases the true-blue flowers. Like all salvia it should receive regular, deep watering.

Another large shrubby salvia is the improved Black and Bloom that grows 1.2m high and wide. The improved version flowers earlier in spring and continues through summer to the first frost. It has larger flowers that stand out dramatically against the darker, thicker stems. It is as tough as nails.

Besides the “true blue” appeal of perennial salvia, there are perennial salvia in other colours with less formal flower spikes. Salvia greggii, Mirage, has cherry-red or pink blooms on a low-growing compact bush. Its flowers attract butterflies and it is heat and frost tolerant.

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