Mealy Sage	Salvia Gregii
Salvia	Salvia
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Salvias bring color to the garden from spring until the first hard frost. They are indispensable for gardeners who want pretty, bright, long-lasting flowers to enjoy in the garden and in arrangements. The most readily available salvia sold as bedding plants at garden centers and nurseries is Salvia splendens. However, Texans are best served by the tender-to tough perennial salvia species such as mealy blue sage (S. farinacea), scarlet or red Texas sage ( S. coccinea), autumn or cherry sage (S. greggi), and Mexican bush sage (S. leucantha).

The genus Salvia contains at least 900 species and, because they readily cross pollinate, innumerable hybrids - both natural and manmade. Salvia ?ndigo Spires? is a good example of a hybrid resulting from cross-pollination. Salvias are found on almost every continent in the world. Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist, wrote about their healing qualities back in the first century. The genus Salvia is from the Latin name used by Pliny, meaning ?afe, unharmed , referring to the medicinal properties of some of the species. In the early 17th century, the English botanist John Gerard, in his famous Herbal, described a number of sages, including common garden sage and one that sounds similar to what we now call 'Tricolor' sage. He referred to the healing powers of these herbs as well. Until recently (in horticultural terms - meaning the 19th century), most gardeners focused on growing plants for medicinal or culinary purposes; beauty was a secondary, much less important, consideration.

The results of plant exploration in the 18th and 19th centuries brought scores of new salvias to English and European gardeners from Mexico, China, and Africa. Salvia coccinea, indigenous to Mexico and South America, has been grown for decades as a wildflower. It was a Dutch breeder, Kees Sahin of K. Sahin Zaden BV in the 1990's who tamed it, so to speak - selecting a plant that was shorter in height than the species, very free-flowering, with bright red, very full flower spikes - and introduced it as 'Lady in Red', an All-America Selections winner in 1992. Salvia coccinea, a perennial in frost-free areas of the south and southwest, may also act like a perennial farther north because it may readily reseed. However, it is usually treated as an annual.

Salvia splendens became the focus of American breeders back in the 1980's. S. splendens is available in plants of various heights and numerous colors but is a native of Brazil. Many of the Texas-tough perennial salvias are native to Texas and Mexico and are subsequently more adapted to Texas growing conditions. Some salvias, particularly Salvia splendens, are sensitive to alkaline soil. Salvia farinacea and S. coccinea are more tolerant of it. The majority of Texas soil is alkaline, so Salvia splendens salvias must be grown in raised beds or containers filled with a commercial potting mix. This still does not insure that hot summer temperatures will not eliminate the unadapted annual Salvia splendens.

Salvias are members of the mint family, Labiatae, and they're easily recognized from their square stems and opposite pairs of leaves, which are usually rather velvety or hairy. The blooms form along spiky stems, and each flower has two parts - a colorful tube (corolla) that projects out from a surrounding "case" (calyx). (Think of it in terms of lipstick, with the lipstick tube emerging from the case.) The tube and collar can be the same color, shades of the same color, or completely different, as in bicolor salvias. S. farinacea 'Strata', for instance, has a silvery white case and blue tube.

Salvias are so easy to incorporate into a garden. Place tall salvias in front of evergreen shrubs; mass them for incredible impact; spot them around in an herb garden to complement the mostly green garden. The taller Texas salvias (2 to 6 feet) are the best for cut flowers, so you may want to put a separate bed of them in a cutting garden. One of the most delightful aspects of salvias is that they attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Combine red with yellow coreopsis, ?aura Bush petunias, and yellow or pink cosmos for the start of a butterfly and hummingbird garden. Whatever design you decide on, remember to plant in masses of at least eight or more plants of each color and type. Hummingbirds and butterflies will flock to this garden favorite.

Salvias grow well in full sun but most also do nicely in partial shade. Full sun means six or more hours of direct sun daily. Partial shade translates into an east location, where the plants will be exposed to morning sun but afternoon shade. A western exposure will be too hot for some of the annual salvias. In Texas, plant even the Texas-tough salvias where they will have some protection from evening sun and high light which can burn the flower spikes changing them to brown; darker colors are more resistant to sun burn.

Salvias need soil that drains well. In soil that's too wet or too dry, the plants will just sit, producing no new growth or flowers. In water-logged soil, the roots may rot. When you have selected a site, amend the soil by digging in a 2-inch (5 cm) layer of compost or peat moss before planting.

Set salvias in the ground at the same depth or slightly below the level they were growing in the pots. Many salvia are easy to start from seed. Rich, fertile conditions are not necessary to grow salvia, but adequate drainage is. Salvia will perform best if grown in well-drained soil. When planting from seed, the seed may be sown outdoors after all danger of frost is past and the soil has warmed to at least 65 degrees F. Scatter the seeds right where the salvia are to be displayed. Firm or rake seeds into a loose soil -- if the seed is planted too deep, germination can be affected. Keep the soil moist for 5 - 10 days after seeding. Seeds will germinate in 7 - 21 days. If the early spring has been cold, soil temperatures will remain cool also. If the soil temperature is below 65 F., seeds may not germinate as rapidly. Thinning is really not necessary.

Salvia needs only basic care to provide a colorful abundance of blooms all summer long. After the seedlings emerge, water VERY SPARINGLY. In lieu of any rainfall during an entire month, give the planting bed a long, slow drink. Salvia is drought tolerant, providing abundant blooms with less water than most other plants. Herein lies the ?roblem which many people encounter when growing salvia -- they ?ver-care for their salvia plants. ?ver-care means too much water and too much fertility. Texas tough perennial salvia are not heavy feeders. Excess fertilization will cause plants to grow too tall and produce excessive leaf growth at the expense of flower production. When ?ver-care occurs, salvia becomes tall and spindly and blooms sparsely. When the spring-planted or spring-sprouting salvia begins to look as if there are an abundance of dried seed pods, encourage new growth and re-bloom simply by cutting the plants back to one-half their height. They will be back in bloom in less than a month.

In addition to looking beautiful in the garden, salvias make great cut flowers. They add touches of color to country-style arrangements, spiky height to miniature bouquets, and accents to wreaths and swags. Salvia are particularly pretty as cut flowers, whether fresh or dried. Fresh-cut salvia bring an airy appearance to arrangements. To gather salvias for fresh or dried arrangements, cut them when about half of the flowers have begun to open on each stem - the flowers open from the bottom up. That's particularly important if you're going to air-dry the flowers; fully open
blooms will shatter and drop off as they dry. For fresh use, pick early in the morning before the dew has dried. For dried use, gather stems later, after the morning dew has evaporated. Salvia can be used as an everlasting in dried arrangements. You can air-dry the flowers easily: Simply tie five or six stems together with a rubber band and hang the bunches upside down in a dry, airy place. You can let them air-dry upright in a vase, but some of the stems may flop over. If you're crafting a wreath or swag with other flowers and herbs before they're dried, remember that the fresh material will shrink a bit as it loses moisture, so you should use more of all the materials to have a full, showy wreath.

Most gardeners find Salvia to be relatively pest - and disease - free. And the GOOD NEWS IS, it is not a preferred food for the deer population.