Salvias, with their vibrant colors and easy-to-grow nature, have become the go-to choice for many garden enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking for stunning annuals to fill your summer beds or reliable perennials for long-lasting displays, this guide covers it all.
It’s no easy feat to choose the perfect salvia variety when the options seem limitless, even within a specific color palette. However, the joy of growing these vibrant and cheerful plants with tall spikes of fragrant flowers is unparalleled. Their appeal extends beyond aesthetics, as salvias are magnets for pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds.
As coveted summer bedding plants, salvias come in both perennial and annual varieties, making them versatile additions to any garden. If you’re eager to cultivate salvia but find the choices overwhelming, fear not. Here’s a curated selection of some of the most enticing salvia varieties to help you get started.
Easygoing Annual and Perennial Salvia Varieties to Try:
With over 900 different breeds and cultivars, selecting the right salvia can be a challenging task. Whether you seek high-impact annuals for specific areas or perennial salvias for reliable, year-after-year displays, the following varieties are both easygoing and dynamic for mixed beds, borders, and container gardening.
Best Perennial Salvia Varieties:
Perennial salvias, known for their tall and drought-tolerant flowerheads, are garden staples. With colors ranging from purple and blue to violet, yellow, bicolor, and red, these plants often outbloom other perennials. Some varieties even tolerate shade and are hardy to USDA zones 6 or 7, with tender ones returning when planted in sheltered areas.
- Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii): Shrubby and long-blooming, available in several colors, and attractive to hummingbirds. Hardy to zone 6.
- ‘Black and Blue‘ (Salvia guaranitica): Deep-blue, trumpet-shaped flowers on tall stalks. Hardy to zone 7.
- ‘Caradonna‘ (Salvia nemorosa): Long-blooming cultivar with violet-blue flowers. Hardy to zone 4.
- Forsythia Sage (Salvia madrensis): Yellow trumpets on tall stalks, blooming from early fall to frost. Generally hardy to zone 7.
- Graham’s Sage (Salvia microphylla): Popular ‘Hot Lips’ variety with cherry red and white bicolor blooms. Hardy to zone 8.
- ‘Indigo Spires’ hybrid sage (Salvia farinacea x longispicata): Dark blue-purple flowers blooming from summer to frost. Hardy to zone 7.
- Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha): Velvety purple trumpets blooming in the fall. Hardy to zone 7.
Best Annual Salvia Varieties:
Annual salvias boast bold colors such as reds, purples, pinks, corals, and whites, blooming throughout the summer. They make striking bedding plants and stand out in pollinator gardens, often reseeding for the following year.
- ‘Coral Nymph‘ (Salvia coccinea): Compact salmon and white bicolor Texas sage.
- ‘Summer Jewel‘ (Salvia coccinea): Available in red, pink, lavender, and white variations with an impressively long flowering season.
- Bedding Sage (Salvia splendens): Salsa and Vista series offering vibrant colors.
- Salvia ‘Bonfire’ (Clara Bedman): Cultivar with brilliant scarlet flowers, suitable for full sunshine or partial shade.
Tips for Perennial Salvia Maintenance:
To ensure the longevity of your perennial salvias, plant them in full sun and well-drained soil. Cut them back in spring when new growth starts, and apply a balanced fertilizer in spring and early summer. Once established, these plants are drought-tolerant, but regular watering is crucial for new plants in their first season.
Which Salvias Are Best For Containers?
Various salvias thrive in pots, provided they have ample room to grow. While shorter varieties like Gentian sage are a practical choice, even taller types like ‘Back To The Fuchsia’ can be cultivated, albeit with slightly less vigorous growth. Evergreen perennials like ‘Icterina’ also flourish in pots, especially those made of clay or terracotta with proper drainage holes.
Growing salvias offers a kaleidoscope of colors and fragrances, providing gardeners with endless possibilities for creative and visually stunning landscapes. Whether you opt for perennial reliability or the boldness of annual varieties, these captivating salvias are sure to elevate your gardening experience.
