Salvia Growing Guide

Salvias are hardy perennials, requiring little to no maintenance but providing plenty of joy. They have such great diversity: Salvia range from small shrubs in deserts to lush green tree like plants to swamp loving blues and mint herbs for cooking and traditional medicine. There are over 1000 species of salvia plus commercial cultivars bred all over the world.

Salvias are a delight: providing color and food for bees and butterflies. They should be part of every garden. 

However, mass market nurseries and hardware stores have been selling cultivars that grow fast with chemicals and flower prematurely. These are essentially annuals. Local Councils plant these color dots every spring in roundabouts. By February the weeds overwhelm this public relations exercise. 

The salvias we offer you, go through years of trials in our wild west weather and tough soils regardless if they be from New Zealand or International breeders. We treat our plants harshly so by the time they reach you they should be indestructible.

Each species and cultivar will have it's preferences but these general approaches apply:

• Salvias prefer well drained soil and full sun. Most can tolerate light to medium wind but prefer some shelter and thrive in a mixed planting border garden.
• Do water salvias deeply when planting and for the first 60 days. After that, they need very little watering and most species are tolerant of dry and hot conditions.
• Salvias benefit from a slow release granular fertilizer applied in spring and do appreciate a liquid seaweed fertilizer applied one month before and during mid-summer flower production.
• The vast majority of salvias don’t like wet heavy soil and are susceptible to root rot. Add pumice and organic matter to heavy clay soils. If growing in pots use a free draining potting mix.
• Salvias are hardy and have few pest or pathogen issues: They contain many natural immune system defence aromatic compounds, they are part of the mint (Lamiaceae) family of plants.
• Salvia can grow well in pots 25cm wide. If growing in pots fertilize in spring and summer every two months for healthy growth and flower production. Roots will rapidly grow out the bottom of pots. Apply a slow release granular fertilizer to the surface of the pot.
• Don’t be afraid to prune or severely cut back salvias. The plant benefits from this and will form a more attractive bush rather than few extended stems. Regularly cut back flowering stems for continuous flowers.
•  Most species are fast growers that prefer to be cut to the ground each autumn with just one node above ground.

Salvias will provide years of joy and illuminate your garden for bees, color for humans and enhance local biodiversity. You can never have enough salvias.