About
A bushy plant, about 100 x 100cm, evergreen if not cut back by frost, with small, ovate, aromatic green leaves. Very floriferous in all its colour stages, continuing to the first frost. Flowers are borne in loose terminal racemes, red in midsummer, bicolored red and white in July and August, sometimes completely white when the days shorten.
About the genus
Salvia can be annuals, biennials, herbaceous or evergreen perennials, or shrubs. They have paired, simple or pinnately lobed, often aromatic leaves and 2-lipped flowers in whorls, forming simple or branched spikes or racemes
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH5
Plant details
Plant typeShrubs
HabitBushy
FoliageEvergreen
Height0.5-1 metres
Spread0.5-1 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesCoastal, Cottage and informal garden, Mediterranean climate plants, City and courtyard gardens, Gravel garden, Patio and container plants, Wildlife gardens
FragranceFoliage
Care notes
CultivationGrow in light, moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil or well-drained soil. Best in full sun but can tolerate light partial shade
PruningPruning group 9 in spring, deadhead to prolong flowering
PropagationPropagate by basal cuttings, or by softwood cuttings in spring or early summer, or by semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer or autumn with bottom heat
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to slugs, snails, rosemary beetle and leafhoppers
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), powdery mildews, verticillium wilt and foot and root rots