How to grow salvias

1  Different types of salvia 

Salvias are a wonderfully diverse group of plants with many species and cultivars. They’re generally divided into five main categories:

• Bedding salvias – frost-tender plants grown for summer colour

• Annual and biennial salvias – hardy, short-lived plants that flower in the first or second summer 

• ​Border salvias – hardy shrubs and herbaceous

  Perennials are any plant living for at least three years. The term is also commonly used for herbaceous perennials which grow for many years (To compare: annual = one year, biennial = two years).

  perennials that don’t need winter protection in much of the UK, except northerly or particularly cold areas 

• Tender salvias – frost-tender shrubs and herbaceous

  Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

  perennials that need winter protection, such as a frost-free greenhouse 

• ​Culinary salvias – edible, aromatic cultivars of sage and rosemary
  
  

  Salvia farinacea 'Victoria' - a bedding salvia 

  Salvia viridis - an annual salvia 

  Salvia sclarea var. sclarea -  a biennial salvia 

  
  
  Salvia greggii 'Icing Sugar' - a border salvia

  Salvia 'Love and Wishes' - a tender salvia 

  Salvia officinalis 'Icterina' - a culinary sage

2  Choosing which salvias to grow

These versatile plants can be used in many ways to fit different gardens and planting styles. Choose whichever works best for your sized space and colour palette. They make for happy bedfellows with other plants in borders or when mingled in containers for summer colour. As a bonus, they're also a magnet for pollinating insects, providing nectar and pollen.

Bedding salvias

These are ‘cheap and cheerful’ plants, ideal for a splash of summer colour. They can be bought in bedding packs in May and June, or grown from seed from March. Plant them out in late May and early June in containers and gaps in borders, or use them in bedding schemes alongside other tender favourites such as lobelia, ageratum and tagetes (marigolds). Bedding salvias are usually removed and composted once flowering has finished, so if you’d prefer longer-lived plants choose border salvias instead.  

Examples
Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria’, S. coccinea and S. ‘Red Arrow’ 

Annual and biennial salvias

These are ‘live fast, die young’ kind of plants, lasting just one or two years. Although ephemeral, they’ll often keep popping up in borders, as they can self-seed. Grow them in containers, borders, gravel and Mediterranean-style gardens. Annual painted sage also makes an excellent cut flower, often grown in veg beds and allotments. Others, like

Biennials are plants that complete their life cycle over the course of two years. In the first year, biennials typically produce leaves and roots but no flowers. In the second year, they flower and produce seeds before dying. Some common biennials include foxgloves (Digitalis), honesty (Lunaria annua) and viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare).

Rosettes are the circular arrangement of flower petals; or a cluster of leaves radiating from approximately the same point usually around a stem. Examples include aeonium and most succulent plants, African violets, primula, sempervivums.

rosettes

Examples
Annuals: painted sage (Salvia viridis) and S. coccinea
Biennials: silver sage (S. argentea) and S. sclarea var. turkestanica ‘Vatican Pink’

Border salvias

These are longer-lived plants, ideal for beds, borders and containers. They include frost-hardy herbaceous perennials and semi-evergreen or

Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

Examples
Herbaceous perennials: S. pratensis ‘Indigo’, S. × sylvestris ‘Mainacht’, S. nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ and S. verticillata ‘Purple Rain’  
Shrubby semi-evergreens: S. greggii, S. microphylla and S. × jamensis. Cultivars of these include ‘Hot Lips’, ‘Amethyst Lips’ and ‘Cerro Potosi’
Shrubby deciduous: S. yangii (formerly Perovskia atriplicifolia). Cultivars include ‘Blue Spire’ and ‘Silvery Blue’

Tender salvias

These need winter protection in all but the mildest locations. Plant them out in borders, beds and containers for a burst of summer colour, then dig up and bring under cover before frosts arrive. Some, such as Salvia ‘Amistad’, may survive outdoors in mild winters or sheltered sites; otherwise, overwinter them in a greenhouse or cool conservatory. Tender salvias look great in tropical-style borders, mingling with cannas, dahlias, begonias and banana plants. 

Examples
S. patens ‘Cambridge Blue’, S. ‘Love and Wishes’, pineapple sage (S. elegans), S. guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, S. cacaliifolia, S. leucantha, S. discolor and S. confertiflora 

Culinary salvias

As well as being edible, these salvias have ornamental value, with variegated, purple-leaved and trailing cultivars available. They’re also evergreen, so offer year-round interest as well as leaves to harvest. Both sage and rosemary are now classed as salvias – find out why rosemary became a salvia.

Examples
Sages: Salvia officinalis cultivars ‘Berggarten’, ‘Tricolor’, ‘Icterina’ and ‘Purpurascens’
Rosemary: S. rosmarinus cultivars ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’, Prostrata Group and ‘Severn Sea’ 

3  Buying salvias 

• Bedding salvias are available in spring and early summer from nurseries, garden centres and online retailers. For bedding, they’re sold in plug trays or as part of multi-buy deals. Larger plants may be sold in individual pots
• ​Annual and biennial salvias are usually grown from seed, available in garden centres, nurseries and from online seed retailers. Occasionally they’re sold as potted plants in spring and summer
• Border salvias are often available year-round from garden centres, nurseries and online plant retailers, although the choice is usually greatest in spring and summer. You’ll also find them at plant fairs and gardening shows
• Tender salvias can be bought in late spring and summer in garden centres, nurseries and from online retailers, as well as at plant fairs and gardening shows
• Culinary salvias are mainly found in the herbs section of garden centres, nurseries and online gardening retailers, although larger plants may also be sold in the shrubs section. When buying rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), choose UK-grown plants to avoid any risk of Xylella fastidiosa disease.

Buying: garden centre plants

Buying: garden centre plants

Buying: mail order plants

Buying: mail order plants

1  When to plant

2  Where to plant

Planting salvias in containers

For long-term plants, use loam-based compost, such as peat-free Melcourt Sylvagrow with added John Innes, or peat-free versions of John Innes No. 2 or No. 3. 

For bedding salvias, use peat-free multi-purpose compost. 

See our guide to choosing peat-free composts. 

3  How to plant

Salvias are easy to plant – see our step-by-step guides:

• planting bedding displays for bedding, annual or biennial salvias in borders
• ​planting perennials for border and tender salvias
• planting shrubs and planting herbs in containers for culinary salvias
• planting up containers for pot displays

1  Watering 

Beds and borders

After planting, water salvias thoroughly to settle them in. Although they’re drought tolerant, watering in prolonged dry spells in their first growing season will help to ensure they establish well.

Allow established plants to dry out a bit between waterings, as they dislike continually wet soil. 

Containers

Salvias in pots are more susceptible to drying out than those in the ground. Keep them regularly watered, especially in summer, ensuring the compost never dries out completely, while being careful not to overwater – the compost mustn’t become waterlogged.  

For more advice, see our guide to watering.

2  Feeding

Salvias aren’t hungry plants, so those growing in borders don’t need feeding.

Give salvias in containers a potassium-rich feed, such as tomato fertiliser, once a month during the growing season (May to Sept) to boost flowering. Alternatively, add a controlled-released fertiliser to the compost when planting. 

See our guide to fertilisers to help you select the right product.

3  Overwintering 

Bedding and annual salvias are only grown for one summer, so are composted in autumn once they look tired or have been frosted.

Outdoors

Hardy salvias (border and culinary salvias) are normally tough enough to survive outdoors over winter. However, in cold regions with harsh winters, wrap shrubby, semi-evergreen salvias with horticultural fleece or bring them under cover (see below). 

In milder parts of the UK, or in sheltered gardens, you should be able to overwinter more tender species, such as Salvia ‘Amistad’, outdoors by applying a thick (15cm/6in) layer of mulch over the base of the plant. Find out how to use mulches for winter protection.      

Under cover

If you want to keep your tender salvias for next year, bring them under cover before the first frosts (typically October or early November). A heated greenhouse (minimum 5°C/41°F), cool conservatory or indoor windowsill is ideal. 

Dig them up and plant into containers using loam-based compost, such as peat-free Melcourt Sylvagrow with added John Innes, or peat-free John Innes No. 2. Water plants only occasionally in winter, just enough to prevent the compost drying out completely. Leave them unpruned, only cutting them back in spring (see Pruning: tender salvias, below). 

As cuttings

It’s often easier to overwinter tender salvias as cuttings (see Propagation below), because they take up less space under cover than mature plants in pots. Protect the cuttings with horticultural fleece on the coldest nights. Deter mould by removing any dead leaves and ventilating your greenhouse/conservatory on mild winter days.  

1  Bedding salvias 

To prevent these becoming tall and leggy, encourage bushiness by pinching out the shoot tips in spring and early summer. This will delay flowering slightly, but give you a much fuller plant long-term. Throughout summer, deadhead regularly to encourage more flowers.

2  Annual salvias

No pruning is needed, but deadheading regularly will encourage further flowers after the initial flush. Biennial salvias flower once, in their second year, so pruning and deadheading isn’t necessary.  

3  Border salvias 

• Herbaceous salvias: when the flowers fade in mid-summer (July), cut back these salvias, such as Salvia nemorosa and S. × sylvestris, to near ground level to encourage a second flush of foliage and flowers. Cut back again in autumn, unless you live in a cold or exposed location. In this case delay pruning until spring, as the top growth helps to protect growing points at the base over winter. 

• Semi-evergreen shrubby salvias: cut back the woody stems of S. microphylla, S. greggii and S. x jamensis cultivars in mid-spring (late March/April) to about 10cm (4in) tall. This encourages vigorous new growth, keeps them compact and stops them becoming woody. Alternatively, to keep the height, simply prune out any shoots that have died back or been damaged over winter. If flowering stops in mid-summer (July), give an additional light trim, cutting just below the faded flowers, to encourage a further flush of blooms in late summer and autumn. 

• Deciduous shrubby salvias: leave the stems of S. yangii (formerly Perovskia) over winter. Hard prune to a low framework, 5–10cm (2–4in) tall, in mid-spring (March/April), cutting just above where new shoots emerge from the base.  

4  Culinary and evergreen shrubby salvias

These include sage (S. officinalis), S. lavandulifolia and S. apiana. They need little pruning, but can be cut back as growth begins in spring to keep them compact. Renovate plants that have become too large or bare at the base by pruning back hard into older wood.

Cut back rosemary (S. rosmarinus) after flowering in early summer, or renovate in mid-spring by cutting all stems back by half. Old, very woody plants are better replaced.  

5  Tender salvias

When stronger growth appears in spring, prune plants back to a low framework of branches, cutting just above a healthy pair of shoots. Or, renovate the plant entirely by pruning all stems to ground level. 

1  By seed

Sow annual and bedding salvias, such as painted sage (Salvia viridis) and S. splendens, under cover in pots or trays in early to mid-spring (March/April). Alternatively, sow painted sage directly into prepared soil once all risk of frost has passed. See our guide to sowing hardy annuals. 

Sow biennial salvias, such as S. sclarea var. turkestanica ‘Vatican Pink’, in pots and seed trays in summer. Once germinated, prick them out into individual pots or plug trays. Keep these in a coldframe or unheated greenhouse over winter, before planting out the following spring. See our guide to growing biennials. 

Collect the seeds of border and tender salvias once they ripen in summer and autumn. Store over winter and sow into pots or trays the following spring. The resulting plants may not be exactly like the parent, due to cross-pollination, although species plants, such as S. glutinosa, will be. 

Seeds that fall to the ground may produce seedlings around the parent plant. If these cramp the parent plant, they can be transplanted elsewhere once large enough to handle. 

2  By taking cuttings

Border and tender salvias root easily from softwood and semi-ripe cuttings. Take softwood cuttings in spring to early summer, and semi-ripe cuttings in late summer to autumn.

For more tips on taking cuttings, see:

Salvia cuttings

Salvia cuttings

Tender perennials: cuttings

Tender perennials: cuttings

3  By division

Established clumps of herbaceous border salvias, such as S. nemorosa, S. × sylvestris and S. verticillata, can be divided in spring and the healthy sections replanted. For advice on doing this see our guide:

Perennials: dividing

Perennials: dividing

4  By suckers

Many salvias produce suckers that can be cut away when you repot or relocate plants. Select a shoot with plenty of roots and cut off below soil level. Look out for these on shrubby semi-evergreen and herbaceous border salvias, as well as tender S. discolor. Ideally take these between spring and summer and pot up individually. See our guide:

Propagating using suckers

Propagating using suckers

5  By layering

Propagate salvias that form a woody framework, such as sage (Salvia officinalis), by simple or mound layering.

• Simple layering involves bending a stem downwards and pinning it into the ground using a bent wire staple or heavy pebble

• Mound layering is useful for rejuvenating an old woody plant. Bury the base of woody stems beneath a mound of gritty soil, so just the green shoots show above it

Layered stems take one or two years to root – after this, sever them from the parent plant and pot up or plant elsewhere. See our guide:

Layering

Layering

Salvias are reliable and usually trouble-free plants with few pest and disease problems. However, occasionally you may see:

• Aphids on soft, new growth. These usually do little damage to salvias, so tolerate them or rub them off with your fingers 

• Capsid bugs cause small pin-prick holes and lace-like tattered leaves where they feed  

• Whitefly and sage leafhoppers can be an issue in sheltered spots. They feed on the underside of leaves causing a speckled appearance

• Glasshouse red spider mites are sometimes found outdoors, particularly in hot, dry summers

• Slugs and snails may damage emerging shoots in spring

• Powdery mildews may affect drought-stressed plants. Avoid by adding organic matter to the soil before planting, mulching susceptible plants and watering during prolonged dry spells

• Grey mould (Botrytis) may develop in cool, damp conditions, especially where tender salvias are overwintered under cover in poorly-ventilated structures

Also be aware that rosemary is a high-risk host for Xylella fastidiosa disease, so it’s safest to buy UK-grown plants. Find out more about keeping Xylella out of the UK.