SALVIAS

Members of the mint family, Salvias are famous for their incredible diversity, boasting over 900 species worldwide. While about 50 of these are native to North America. However, for those of us gardening in Massachusetts, the Lyre-leaf Sage (Salvia lyrata) is our region's only true native sage. No matter the variety, Salvias are renowned as absolute pollinator magnets, featuring nectar-rich blooms that act as an irresistible beacon for hummingbirds, butterflies, and a wide variety of local pollinators.

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GROWING SALVIA

How to Plant & Grow Salvia for Success

Salvias are sun-loving, low-maintenance perennials that reward you with vibrant blooms and incredible pollinator activity all season long. Whether you are looking for classic blues and purples or want to branch out into vibrant pinks, fuchsias, whites, or reds, there is a variety for every palette. These tough, deer-resistant plants are exceptionally easy to care for. Here is how to give your new Salvias the absolute best start in your landscape:

Choose the Right Spot: Select a location that receives full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily) and has excellent drainage. Salvias absolutely do not like soggy roots.
Prepare the Soil: Dig a hole twice the width of the plant’s container to give the roots plenty of room to expand. Mix a 3-inch layer of high-quality compost into the existing soil to enrich and improve drainage.
Plant with Care: Gently remove the Salvia from its nursery pot. Place it in the hole so the top of the root ball sits perfectly level with the surrounding soil line.
Space for Growth: Space your plants 1 to 3 feet apart, depending on the specific variety. Proper spacing ensures excellent airflow and gives the plant room to reach its mature size.
Backfill and Firm: Fill in the hole around the plant with your soil mix, pressing down gently with your hands to eliminate air pockets and stabilize the root ball.
Water Deeply: Give your newly planted Salvias a thorough, deep soaking to settle the soil and reduce transplant shock.
Mulch: Apply a thin layer of mulch around the base of the plant to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.
Encourage More Blooms: Deadheading spent flowers encourages repeat blooming. Follow the flower stem down to the base and cut just above the foliage for a clean finish and more blossoms.
Spring Cleanup: Wait until early spring, when you see signs of new growth, to cut back old stems. This helps protect the plant during winter and gives you a clearer view of what's emerging.
Divide Every 3 Years: To keep your Salvias vigorous, divide clumps every 3 years. The best time to divide is in early spring, before new growth fully emerges.

While Salvias are remarkably drought-tolerant once established, consistent watering during their first few weeks in the ground is key to healthy, deep root development. With just a bit of maintenance, Salvias reward you with long-lasting color and a steady stream of pollinators.

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PERENNIAL SALVIAS

While most perennial salvias bloom in early summer, you can easily extend their performance by deadheading the faded flower spikes. They will reward you with a fantastic second flush of blooms later in the same season!

Salvia Wind Walker Red

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*A perennial species of*
*Salvia that is 4’ tall.*
*Graceful arching stems*
*with brilliant red flowers*
*bloom from late June*
*through fall. Cut this*
*Salvia back to 6” in*
*early summer to keep*
*stems shorter and*
*stronger. Hummingbirds*
*love it!*

Perennial Salvia Varieties

Salvia nemorosa Species (Meadow Sage)

These are the classic garden staples known for their upright flower spikes and compact, mounded foliage.

'Salvatore Blue': Features aromatic, royal purple-blue spikes that add wonderful vertical interest and deep color to garden beds and planters.
'Caradonna': Features striking, dark purple stems that contrast beautifully with its violet-blue flowers.
'Dark Matter': Deeply saturated, near-black buds that open into intense violet-blue spikes.
'Blue Marvel' & 'Rose Marvel': Some of the largest flower spikes in the genus, providing an extra-bold splash of blue or rose-pink.
'White Profusion': A high-performance variety completely covered in crisp, clean white flowers that rebloom beautifully.
'Snow Hill': A dependable, classic white selection that forms a tidy, cool mound in the border.
'Blue by You': An early bloomer featuring rich blue-purple spikes and excellent heat tolerance.
'Violet Riot': Forms a dense, uniform mound packed with vivid violet-blue flowers.
'East Friesland': A compact old favorite featuring rich violet-purple spikes.
'Feathers Peacock': Feathery foliage and soft lavender-blue flowers.

The 'Lyrical' Series

Known for their robust growth, strong branching, and high flower count per stem.

'Lyrical Blue': Deep indigo-blue petals contrasted beautifully by rich burgundy accents.
'Lyrical Rose': Bright rose-pink flower spikes that bring a soft warmth to the garden.

Other Salvias

'Midnight Model': Produces striking, intense violet-blue flowers on a round, dense, perfectly neat clump.
'Evening Attire': Features huge, vivid violet-blue flowers packed tightly into a highly refined, upright habit.
'Moulin Rouge': Makes a dramatic statement with oversized, rich rosy-pink flower spikes.
'Rhythm and Blues': Striking tricolor blue-purple blooms.

Salvia greggii (Mirage™ Series): Woody, drought-tolerant mounds with aromatic foliage.
Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain': An "oldie but goodie" featuring arching stems with smoky purple whorls of flowers that look incredibly soft and romantic.

Biennial Sages

Biennials spend their first year growing lush foliage and explode into dramatic, oversized blooms in their second year.

Salvia argentea (Silver Sage): A striking, clump-forming biennial grown as much for its texture as its flowers. It features massive, fuzzy, woolly silver leaves that look like velvet, topped with elegant white flowers.
Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage): A biennial species native to the Mediterranean basin that we proudly grow from seed right here! This is a massive, very showy architectural plant that features huge spikes bearing large, colorful bracts that last all summer.
- The Straight Species: Features pink blooms with darker pink edges.
- Salvia sclarea var. turkestanica: A beautiful variety featuring striking white flecks and pink bracts.

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ANNUALS: SEASON EXTENDERS

Plant them now and they will be gorgeous in the fall!

Annual Salvias are absolute powerhouses in the garden, providing non-stop color from early summer straight into late fall. From unique varieties we start right here from seed to high-performance selections grown from premium plugs, these plants are the ultimate season extenders. In fact, hardy varieties like Pineapple Sage will often stay in full bloom well into November! To get the absolute most out of them, we recommend planting them early in the season so they have plenty of time to reach their magnificent mature size. While they do beautifully in both patio containers and garden beds, keep in mind that they put all their energy into a single season and will not come back next year.

Planning Ahead

It's the perfect time to think about late summer and autumn interest, when designing your garden beds now. Our late-blooming 'season-extender' Salvias are the perfect tool to keep your landscape vibrant and colorful long after other perennials have faded.

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Vineyard Gardens Seed-Grown Favorites

There is a special charm to plants grown from seed right here at the nursery. These selections are famous for their exotic, oversized bracts and incredibly long-lasting color.

Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea): Produces massive, architectural flower spikes with prominent, colorful bracts that look delightfully exotic and last all summer.
Salvia horminium Blue Monday: A true Vineyard Gardens favorite featuring striking, intense blue-violet top leaves (bracts) that retain their deep color for months.
Salvia horminium Rose Sundae: A gorgeous sister variety to 'Blue Monday,' boasting soft, vivid rose-pink bracts that add a beautiful warmth to cottage gardens and bouquets.
Salvia patens Patio Sky Blue (Gentian Sage): Breathtaking sky-blue flowers, set on a compact habit perfect for pots.

'Plug-Grown' Annuals

Grown from specialized starter plugs, these high-performance cultivars grow rapidly into robust, heavy-blooming plants for your large containers and garden beds.

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' (Anise-Scented Sage): Featuring deep cobalt-blue tubular flowers emerging from dramatic, near-black calyxes.
'Amistad' (Andrew’s Recommendation): A top pick by Andrew! This spectacular hybrid boasts massive, continuous spikes of royal purple flowers sitting on sharp black stems. It is an absolute magnet for hummingbirds.
'Indigo Spires': A deep, rich blue showstopper with extra-long flower spikes. This tough variety keeps going and going. It will still be blooming beautifully alongside your fall asters and mums!
'Skyscraper Orange': Brings unique, warm sunset-orange tones to the annual border on sturdy, upright stems.
'Skyscraper Pink': Features densely packed, bright pink trumpets that stand up beautifully to summer heat.
'Unplugged Pink': A compact, tidy selection covered in soft pink spikes, perfect for mid-sized patio containers.
'Rockin’ Deep Purple': A tough, modern hybrid loaded with rich, royal purple blooms that require no deadheading to keep flowering.
'Rockin’ Blue Suede Shoes': Features soft, light blue petals contrasted against crisp, deep black calyxes.
'Rockin’ Fuchsia': Vibrant, neon-fuchsia blossoms that scream for attention from across the yard.
'Wendy’s Wish': A massive customer favorite featuring brilliant, hot-magenta pink flowers with colorful fluted calyxes.
'Love and Wishes': Another popular favorite, displaying a sophisticated, deep antique shade of reddish-pink and dark maroon stems.

Salvia leucantha ('Mexican Bush Sage'): The ultimate late-season extender. This magnificent, velvety-textured plant saves its main explosion of soft purple and white spikes for autumn, blooming beautifully deep into October.

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Salvias in the Herb House

Explore our fantastic selection of aromatic, edible sages!

Salvia elegans ‘Pineapple Sage’ (annual): A spectacular annual herb and a magnificent season extender. The species name elegans reflects its tender nature, meaning it will not overwinter in our climate. However, it grows at an astonishing rate if you get it in the ground early! When planted in spring or early summer, a simple 4-inch nursery pot of Pineapple Sage will easily reach 4 to 5 feet tall and wide in a single season. In late summer and throughout autumn, it bears brilliant, tubular red flower spikes. As a delightful bonus, its lush green foliage releases a sweet pineapple aroma when brushed.
Salvia officinalis ‘Culinary Sages’ (Perennial)
These hardy perennial sages are wonderful in the kitchen and bring beautiful, year-round texture to the herb garden. While the straight species and 'Berggarten' remain the two absolute classics for culinary use, we also carry these gorgeous, highly ornamental varieties:
- Purple Leaf Sage: Features rich, smoky-purple foliage that adds dark, dramatic depth to herb planters.
- Golden Sage: Boasts bright green leaves beautifully variegated with wide, chartreuse-gold margins.
- Tricolor Sage: A stunning, highly ornamental selection with striking variegated foliage splashed in shades of purple, pink, and creamy white.

LEARN MORE: PERENNIAL HERBS

CONTAINER PLANTING