Pruning: Prune salvia plants twice a year . Once at the end of May when the first shoots appear and then again in Early June once flowering has finished, this is known as the ‘Hampton Chop’ H5: Plants that can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C and are suitable for outdoor cultivation in areas with cold, harsh winters, such as parts of Scotland. The question to ask is what will Salvia bring to the herbaceous garden. Probably their best asset is their long flowering and often repeat flowering habit. In some cases, such as Salvia ‘Purple Rain’ and Salvia sclarea ‘Turkestanica’ the actual flowering is a bonus as the bracts provide a large proportion of the colour and persist long after the flowers cease. When they are in flower they provide valuable nectar for bees and butterflies.

Salvia plants are relatively low-maintenance and easy to care for, but they still require some attention to keep them healthy and thriving. Here are some tips for caring for salvia plants: H4: Plants that can withstand temperatures as low as -10°C and are suitable for outdoor cultivation in most of the UK, except for areas with severe or prolonged winter weather. Within the Lamiaceae, Salvias are most closely related to Nepeta, the catmints. In some cases, such as Nepeta govaniana, they can be easily confused. The flowers of Salvia are borne in distinct rings all around the flowering stems in whorled structures called verticillasters. The flowers of Nepeta are borne on longer stalks. H1: Plants that can withstand temperatures as low as 10°C and are suitable for outdoor cultivation throughout most of the UK. Watering: Salvia plants prefer well-draining soil, so be sure not to over-water them. Water deeply once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions and soil moisture levels.

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H6: Plants that can withstand temperatures as low as -20°C and are suitable for outdoor cultivation in extremely cold regions, such as parts of northern Europe.

Salvia nemorosa has been grown in gardens for as long as gardens have been popular and has hybridised freely in its time. Hence some of the most popular Salvias are of uncertain parentage, being hybrids of Salvia nemorosa with possibly S.pratensis, S.virgata, S x syvestris and S. x superba. The one thing they have in common is being particularly good garden plants. Soil: Salvia plants prefer well-draining soil, so make sure the soil in their planting area is loose and crumbly, with good drainage. H3: Plants that can withstand temperatures as low as -5°C and are suitable for outdoor cultivation throughout the UK

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H7: Plants that are not reliably hardy in the UK and should only be grown in a greenhouse or other protected environment. H2: Plants that can withstand temperatures as low as 5°C and are suitable for outdoor cultivation in sheltered or mild parts of the UK. The Genus Salvia is huge with at least 900 species covering a really wide range of habitats and growth types. They are one of the few plant groups, (including Mecanopsis and Delphinium), that covers all three primary colours, excelling at red and blue and dabbling somewhat in yellow. There are shrubby sages, perennials sages and a number of really spectacular biennials as well. We only scrape the surface of this rich variety, but we hope we offer a number of good reliable garden plants. Sunlight: Salvia plants prefer full sunlight, so make sure they get at least 6-8 hours of direct sun per day.

Salvia is the Latin name for the sages, a group of plants that belong to the mint family, Lamiaceae ( formerly Labiatae ). The family is characterised by having lipped flowers, square stems and a tendency towards fragrant leaves. The Lamiaceae contain quite a few of our most used herbs such as sage, thyme, mint and oregano. In fact without the Lamiaceae and Umbellifereae the herb garden would look quite bare.