Salvia is a whole genus of herbaceous perennials belonging to the family of labia. One of the varieties, called sparkling or shiny, has long taken pride of place in the front gardens. Detailed description, beautiful pictures flowers will represent them in the best possible way. And advice on sowing, growing seedlings and further care behind this whimsical plant, they will help to finally establish themselves in the desire to have a beautiful salvia on their own site.
Description of salvia brilliant
Salvia is not particularly demanding on the composition of the soil, but it is still recommended to loosen heavy soils with sand.
Advice. The area where salvia will be planted is not recommended to be heavily fertilized with humus. In this case, it will be good to develop root system, and there will be few flowers.
Since the plants are planted already quite large, holes should be prepared for planting. right size. The required interval is 20-30 cm. The dug holes are well filled with water, salvia is transferred into the resulting mud along with a lump of soil from the pot. With this method of planting, the plant is not injured, quickly grows and begins to bloom.
Salvia flowers in different colors
Caring for sparkling salvia is quite standard:
- watering as needed;
- regular loosening of the soil, removal of weeds;
- top dressing several times during the season with complex mineral fertilizer.
Salvia in shading practically does not bloom. Therefore, it should be planted away from tall plants.
Advice. A flower bed will look very beautiful, consisting of salvias alone of brilliant one or more colors. Also, this plant looks great in the background in border plantings next to undersized marigolds and annual phlox.
Popular varieties and varieties of brilliant salvia
The brightest is the red variety. Her cumac flowers look especially beautiful in autumn period. Popular varieties with red flowers: Salvator, Red Arrows, Fire Star, Sahara. White is distinguished by an inflorescence of lower density. Her flowers are cream. Purple variety - dark flowers have a velvety appearance, which makes them look very catchy. Brilliant salvia with a pink color - the corolla of the flowers is also velvety, thanks to the dense pubescence. The inflorescence is average in density between the white and red varieties.
Plant salvia (lat. Salvia), or sage- a numerous genus of herbaceous and shrubby perennials of the Lamiaceae or Lamiaceae family, common in tropical and temperate regions of all parts of the world except Australia. The name "salvia" is derived from the Latin "salvus", which means "to be healthy", and this is due to the fact that some types of plants have been used for medicinal purposes since time immemorial. Nothing heals a flux faster than gargling with sage tea.
There are only about 900 representatives of the Salvia genus, and they all prefer to grow in bright places. To avoid confusion, medicinal plant and the spice is commonly called sage, and ornamental plants of this genus is salvia. And although salvia is also sage, it is used for decorative purposes. Salvia officinalis has been known to people since the time of the Roman Empire, but salvia flowers were brought to Europe only in the 18th century, during the era of the horticultural boom. Separate from other species in the classification is salvia divinorum, the so-called "predictor's sage", or narcotic sage, from the leaves of which salvinorin, a psychoactive hallucinogen, is extracted. But in our article we will focus on salvia - an ornamental shrub.
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Planting and Caring for Salvia (at a Glance)
- Landing: sowing seeds in open ground spring or winter. Seedlings are sown for seedlings from mid-February to early March, and seedlings are planted in open ground in late May or early June.
- Bloom: from June to autumn frosts.
- Lighting: bright sunlight or penumbra.
- The soil: rich in lime, light, dry, permeable.
- Watering: evening, after drying of the top layer of soil.
- Top dressing: the first time - during the seedling period with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer, the second time - during the budding period.
- Reproduction: one- and two-year-old species - only by seeds, perennials - by seeds, dividing the bush and stem cuttings.
- Pests: thrips, aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, snails and slugs.
- Diseases: peronosporosis, root cancer, rust, powdery mildew, chlorosis, fusarium wilt, rhizoctoniosis.
Read more about growing salvia below.
Salvia flower - description
The salvia flower is a rhizomatous plant, perennial in nature, but in our latitudes it is almost always grown as an annual or biennial, and although some species tolerate winter well in the garden, they freeze in snowless or little snowy winters. The stems of salvia are erect or ascending, tetrahedral, sometimes reaching a height of 120 cm. The leaves are whole, sometimes pinnately dissected, located oppositely on the petioles, the upper side of the plate is darker green, while the lower side is whitish.
In the photo: Purple salvia
Small flowers are collected at the ends of the stems in complex whorled spike-shaped or paniculate inflorescences 15-20 cm long, brightly colored bracts attract the eye - pink, white, purple or purple. Salvia fruit consists of four nuts. Salvia seeds reach maturity a month after the start of flowering and remain viable for up to five years.
Growing salvia from seeds
When to sow salvia
Salvia annual and biennial is grown from seeds, perennial salvia propagated by both seeds and vegetative ways- dividing the bush or cuttings. Growing salvia from seeds involves the use of both seedling and seedless methods. With a seedless method, seeds are sown in the ground before winter or spring.
But such a species, for example, as brilliant salvia, or sparkling salvia (Salvia splendens), reproduces exclusively by seedlings.
By the way, in stores as planting material they sell both seeds and granules, which, in addition to the seed, contain substances that make seedlings stronger and more resistant, but the granules germinate more slowly than an ordinary seed. When is the best time to sow salvia seedlings? Sowing salvia in boxes is carried out from mid-February to early March.
In the photo: Growing salvia in a flower bed
salvia seedling
Seeds or granules are sown in moist loose soil superficially or to a depth of no more than 2 mm, the content temperature is about 25 ºС. You will have to water the crops in a pan or from a sprayer, and to keep the soil moist longer, cover the box with crops with paper. Shoots will appear within two weeks or a month. Your next task is to grow seedlings with a strong root system that will allow the plant to quickly take root in the ground.
To do this, the shoots dive twice:
- the first time when two or three true leaves appear, the sprouts are transplanted into another box at a distance of 5 cm from each other, deepening them into the soil along the cotyledon leaf;
- the second time the seedlings are transplanted three weeks after the first pick into separate pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm.
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When the third or fourth true leaf develops, the sprouts are pinched to stimulate tillering. From April, you can start hardening seedlings, for which the night temperature is lowered to 10 ºС.
In the photo: Red salvia
Planting Salvia
When to plant salvia
Salvia prefers light sandy soil, while rich in lime, humus and permeable. The site should be sunny, since all types of salvia are sun-loving, and only salvia sticky can grow in partial shade. Salvia seedlings are planted in the ground when the threat of night frosts recedes - approximately at the beginning of June.
How to plant salvia
Planting and caring for salvia will not seem difficult even for novice gardeners, especially since hardened seedlings prepared for life in the garden tolerate transplanting perfectly. In each hole dug at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, before transferring the salvia bush from the pot, add a handful of humus.
salvia care
How to grow salvia
Salvia care includes the same garden work, which is the care of any garden plant - watering, weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing with fertilizers. All these works should be done as the need arises. Water the soil when the ground under the salvia dries well. after the previous watering, and only in evening time, but do not pour too much water, as the plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture in the roots. Some time after watering, loosen the soil and remove weeds, if any.
Top dressing from complex mineral fertilizers they are applied at least twice during the summer: the first time seedlings are fed with a weak solution, the second time - during the formation of buds.
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perennial salvia will give you more trouble than an annual or two-year-old (sown with seeds before winter), because it also needs a formative pruning, which will not allow the shoots to stretch and become bare, stimulates the tillering and growth of young shoots. When the perennial salvia blooms, remove wilted flowers from the bush, and before winter dormancy or at the beginning of the next growing season, arrange a salvia haircut: cut off old lignified shoots so that only a few centimeters remain with buds and young greens.
In the photo: Blue salvia
Salvia pests and diseases
Salvia is so rarely affected by diseases that it makes no sense to talk about it. As for pests, sometimes the plant is affected by whiteflies, thrips, aphids or mites, as well as slugs and snails that eat the delicate salvia foliage.
snails And slugs must be removed mechanically: collect them by hand; put bait in the form of pieces of slate or rags, under which slugs will crawl; can be placed on the site of the container with beer or fruit juice, covering them with a makeshift umbrella that protects the contents from rain and debris. Gastropods thrive on a pleasant smell, and you can reap a decent crop of these pests.
In the photo: How salvia blooms
Insects will have to be fought with insecticides that correspond to each of the pests.
salvia after flowering
Salvia flowering begins in June, and sometimes ends with autumn frosts - each species is different. Some of the salvias are able to bloom twice a year.
For example, wild salvia, if cut off completely after flowering, will bloom again in late summer, especially if it is fed.
But if the salvia has faded completely, spend autumn pruning perennial salvia and mulch the area, and especially the growing points, with garden compost so that the plant survives the winter. Young salvias need to be additionally covered with spruce branches or dry foliage.
Types and varieties of salvia
According to agrotechnical characteristics and biological characteristics, scientists divide salvia species into three groups. The first includes representatives of the American subtropics, for obvious reasons grown in our climate as annuals. These species prefer moist soil and cannot tolerate even light frosts. The first group includes:
Salvia sparkling (Salvia splendens)
Or salvia brilliant - from 20 to 80 cm high, densely leafy compact bushes, leaves are opposite, entire, ovate, petiolate, dark green above and light green on the lower part of the leaf plate. large, irregular shape flowers with a double perianth are collected in whorls of 2-6 pieces in racemose inflorescences 14-25 cm long. Both the calyx and corolla are most often bright red, but white, purple, and pink are also available. Blooms from June to autumn frosts.
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Variety sparkling white salvia differs from the fiery red in a not so dense inflorescence and in that the calyx looks creamy against the background of a white corolla.
pink salvia differs in a shorter inflorescence than red salvia, and the corolla and calyx are colored the same in pink color but the corolla has a velvety texture.
In the photo: Salvia sparkling, or shiny (Salvia splendens)
Violet sparkling salvia is a very catchy variety, since the deep purple color of the flowers is enhanced by their velvety, created by dense pubescence.
Most popular varieties sparkling salvia: Fiery Star, Red Arrows, Salvator, Sahara.
Salvia bright red (Salvia coccinea)
Height 50-70 cm, stems straight, densely pubescent and branching, leaves petiolate, ovate, finely serrated at the edges, pubescent below, bare above. Loose inflorescences 15-30 cm long consist of whorled flowers with a scarlet-red corolla and a long tube. This salvia blooms from July until frost. Varieties: "Leidy in Red up to 40 cm high with bright red flowers, Sherry Blossom - early variety the same height, but with pink flowers.
In the photo: Bright red salvia (Salvia coccinea)
Mealy salvia (Salvia farinacea)
A long-flowering non-capricious plant 60-90 cm tall, looking like a pyramidal bush. Leaves petiolate, oblong-ovate, pubescent only along the veins, entire. Inflorescences on tall peduncles reach a length of 15-20 cm and consist of 5-28 flowers up to 2 cm long. The corolla is usually dark blue, but sometimes white. This species blooms from mid-August to late autumn. Varieties: Anschuld (silver-white flowers), Strata (compact bush with blue flowers), Victoria (luxuriantly flowering variety with dark blue flowers).
The second group is represented by species of Mediterranean origin. They are more cold tolerant and drought tolerant. They grow best on loose soils and respond gratefully to mineral supplements.
In the photo: mealy salvia (Salvia farinacea)
Salvia green (Salvia viridis)
Or salvia motley - in this species, only the horminum variety (var. Horminum) with brightly colored bracts is decorative. This is an annual plant 40-60 cm high with numerous straight branching stems covered with glandular down. The leaves are petiolate, oblong-elliptical, also pubescent. Simple inflorescences 18-30 cm long consist of false whorls with 4-6 flowers with a pink corolla, but the color of the bracts is eye-catching - juicy purple or bright pink. Varieties: White Swan (white salvia with pinkish or purple bracts), Oxford Blue with blue-violet bracts, Pink Sunday with pink bracts.
In the photo: Green salvia, or motley (Salvia viridis)
Whorled Salvia (Salvia verticillata)
Height 35-40 cm with straight or ascending densely pubescent stems, long-leaved pubescent leaves unusual shape and flowers in dense whorls of 5-30 pieces with a lilac-blue corolla. Purple Rain has flowers with a dark purple corolla and purple calyxes.
In the photo: Whorled Salvia (Salvia verticillata)
Salvia dandelion (Salvia taraxacifolia)
It is a herbaceous species with a basal rosette of leaves. The stems are straight, not particularly branching, all parts of the plant emit pleasant aroma. The leaves are pinnately dissected, irregularly serrate at the edges, glabrous above and pubescent on the underside of the leaf blade. Simple inflorescences up to 28 cm long consist of whorls with several flowers with a pale pink corolla, a greenish-green throat with purple dots.
In the photo: Salvia dandelion (Salvia taraxacifolia)
The second group also includes salvia jurisicha (Salvia jurisicii) , which is not of particular interest to gardeners.
There are about 700 species in the genus, distributed throughout the world. For decorative purposes, one of the varieties of the medicinal plant is widely used - sparkling sage, which has magnificent inflorescences of rich bright colors.
royal look
It owes its royal luxurious salvia not only to the variety of bright colors, but also to the features and branches.
Stems ascending or erect, branched or simple, up to 100-125 cm in height. The leaves are entire, sometimes pinnately dissected. The flowers are complex whorls, collected in paniculate, sometimes in spike-shaped inflorescences.
Salvia blooms profusely from June to autumn frosts. Seeds ripen in August. Collecting them multiple times. The fruit splits into four nuts.
Garden varieties of salvia
When considering how to grow salvia, you should become familiar with garden varieties. In addition to the classic sparkling sage, gardeners use other types.
The most popular of them are the following.
- Salvia forest. Blooms purple, white,
- Salvia oak. It comes in pink and white color, different shades of purple.
- Salvia meadow. The same classic colors are known.
- Salvia whorled. In addition to the standard purple, it can have red flowers.
- Salvia transylvania. Has purple flowers.
- Salvia blue - hybrid variety. Has all shades of blue.
- salvia japonica- non-standard
- Salvia marsh. Blooms blue-blue.
Difficult to study
Increasingly, flower lovers are wondering how to grow salvia. And all because it is a rather whimsical plant that requires special care. Often, attempts to grow it end in failure - the death of sprouts, non-germination of seeds, lack of flowering, stunting. Many factors influence the difficulties of breeding: planting time, seed quality, care features, climatic conditions, ignorance of amateur gardeners. Before you start planting sparkling sage, you need to carefully study all the information about the nuances of its cultivation.
Preliminary landing stage
Growing salvia flowers begins with buying seeds and preparing the soil. When purchasing seed, we are guided by three rules:
- We carefully study the shelf life.
- When choosing a manufacturer, we study reviews and recommendations.
- To avoid counterfeiting, please show quality certificates.
It is equally important to properly prepare the soil for the future plant. It must contain the necessary trace elements and have an acidic environment. For planting, we choose any container: it can be planters, pots or simple boxes. Expanded clay should be placed on the bottom of the selected container, freely sprinkled with soil on top, not reaching the sides of 2 cm. After that, everything closes plastic wrap and left for a day. Do not try to find out information on how to grow salvia without seedlings, because a whimsical plant will not be able to develop from seeds immediately in the open field.
Sowing and planting time
Salvia, the seeds of which are planted 80 days before sowing, quickly sprouts, but grows quite slowly. Best time planting seedlings - end of February - beginning of March. In 2 months, the plant will get stronger, and after another 20 days it will be ready for transplantation.
The main mistake of gardeners is that landing in the ground is carried out in wrong time. After all, salvia is an unusually thermophilic plant. Depending on climatic conditions, it is transferred to the garden. All manipulations with it fall on the end of May-June. At the same time, stable warm weather should be established without sharp temperature fluctuations. Then the cultivation will be successful and will delight you with its beauty.
How to plant?
Seedlings (salvia cannot be immediately planted in the ground) when growing perennials are required. For her, several bags of seeds are taken different colors and varieties. Each of the species is seated in different boxes, and the packaging is attached to the container. It is necessary to implement design ideas in the country, garden plot. The seeds are simply poured into a container prepared in advance, sprinkled with 2 mm soil, watered, and covered from above. Sage feels especially good in a separate pot, then the roots gain sufficient strength and become more resistant to external factors. After the second leaf appears, the seedlings dive into separate containers.
Let's take a closer look at the question of how to grow salvia outdoors. After 75-80 days, you can start planting plants on permanent place. It is best to plant them in loamy or sandy soil, at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. We treat the rhizomes very carefully, we dig a wide hole in the ground in advance, about 30 cm deep. We transfer the salvia, sprinkle it with earth without pressure, water it lightly. The plant does not need to be covered. perennial shrub easily tolerates both shade and wind, only cold can greatly damage it.
Capricious plant requires special care
There is no doubt that, like any plant, this beautiful flower requires careful care. Many sources tell you how to grow salvia correctly, but miss important points.
The golden rules say:
Why is salvia not growing?
What if the cultivation of flowers failed? Salvia is quite capricious, but do not give up. Each situation can be dealt with by analyzing several factors.
The causes of plant death are:
- Frost.
- Diseases such as blackleg.
- Too much moisture.
- Soil peroxidation.
- Breakage of the root when planting seedlings in the ground.
- External influences - bad weather, animals, unforeseen situations.
- Weed plants.
Finally
Growing flowers is a fascinating, exciting process. This is an indescribable feeling of happiness when your hands are created magnificent gardens, gorgeous flower beds!
Learning to breed a variety of crops is not at all difficult. And let every day beautiful plants make you and your loved ones happy.
Salvia (lat. Salvia) or sage is a representative of the Lamiaceae (Lyasnotkovye) family. To avoid confusion, the spice and medicinal plant are called sage, and ornamental crops of this genus are called salvia. By outward signs salvia - the same sage. In the natural environment, salvia is found in the temperate and tropical climatic zone of all corners of the world, except for Australia, which is remote by water bodies. Salvia is derived from the Latin word "salvus", meaning "to be healthy", because indeed some types of plants have medicinal properties.
Rinsing with a decoction of sage will quickly cure the flux. Salvia officinalis has been familiar to everyone since the time of the Roman Empire, while salvia came to Europe in the 18th century. Salvia divinorum - narcotic sage or predictor sage - in the classification is separate from other species. In this article, we will only talk about salvia grown for decorative purposes.
Salvia is a rhizomatous plant with erect, tetrahedral stems reaching a height of up to 1.2 m. The plant is perennial, but in our latitudes it is grown as an annual or biennial, because it freezes during snowless or snowless winters. The leaves are oblong, entire, less often pinnately dissected, attached on long petioles, arranged oppositely.
The surface of the foliage plate is painted in dark green color and the underside is whitish. A complex spike-shaped or paniculate inflorescence 15-20 cm long appears at the top of the stem. The flowers are small, the bracts are painted white, pink, purple or purple. At the end of flowering, a fruit is tied, consisting of 4 nuts. Seeds ripen in a month and retain long-term germination (about 5 years after harvest).
When and how to plant salvia seedlings
Annual and biennial salvia are propagated by seeds, perennials can also be propagated vegetatively - by cuttings and dividing the bush.
Sowing seeds in open ground is done in early spring and before winter, but the seeds may not sprout, or young plants die from the cold.
Safer to grow. Moreover, the type of Salvia is sparkling, it is also brilliant (Salvia splendens), it is grown only in seedlings.
- Sowing for seedlings is carried out from mid-February to early March.
- Take a wide container, place a drainage layer of expanded clay on the bottom, fill the rest of the space with a substrate for growing seedlings.
- Moisten the soil, plant the seeds to a depth of no more than 2-3 mm.
- cover transparent film and keep the air temperature at 25°C.
- Put in a bright place without direct sunlight, water through the pan, ventilate the crops.
- After a couple of weeks or a month, shoots will appear. Remove cover.
- For seedlings, it is important to organize a 12-hour light day - use artificial lighting.
- With the appearance of 2 true leaves, dive the plants and transplant into a new box, keeping a distance of about 5 cm between them. You need to deepen to the cotyledon leaves.
- 3 weeks after picking, it should be transplanted into separate pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm.
- Pinch seedlings above 3-4 leaves to encourage branching.
- Starting in April, harden off plants - lower the night temperature to + 10º C.
Propagation of salvia by cuttings
As parts of the shoot 5-10 cm long are used. Make a cut slightly below the node, wielding with a scalpel or sharp knife. Rooting occurs in 2 stages: first in water, then in soil. Take a transparent container (it is more convenient to view the water level and the presence of roots), pour a layer of water about 5 cm and place the cutting there, add water as it evaporates. Expect roots to form in 2-3 weeks.
With the achievement of a root length of 1-2 cm, it is necessary to land in a small pot with light soil. Keep the air temperature at 20° C. Water regularly, spray occasionally. A sufficiently strong plant begins to be accustomed to outdoor conditions - put it near an open window, take it outside for a while, but put it in a shady place. 3-4 weeks after growing in the ground, apply mineral fertilizers. Then you can plant in a permanent place in the garden.
Planting salvia in open ground
Salvia seedlings are ready for planting in the ground photo
When the threat of night frost has completely passed (late May-early June), plant salvia in the garden. Suitable light permeable sandy soil, rich in lime and humus. The plant is photophilous (the exception is salvia sticky, capable of growing in partial shade), choose a sunny site. At a distance of 25-30 cm, dig planting holes, add a handful of humus and transfer the salvia along with an earthen clod. Tamp a little, pour.
Salvia care outdoors
Caring for salvia is not complicated and consists in carrying out standard actions: watering, weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing.
Watering
The plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture at the roots. It is necessary to produce when the soil dries out properly after the previous one. It is better to water in the evening, add a little water.
Loosen the soil as needed, remove weeds.
top dressing
It will be necessary to apply a complex of mineral fertilizers twice: immediately after planting and with the beginning of the formation of buds.
Because the stems are flexible, plants taller than 1m will need support.
When does salvia bloom?
Flowering of all species begins in June, and may end with the onset of autumn frosts. Some species are able to bloom twice. For example, forest salvia: after the first flowering, it must be completely cut off, fertilized, watered moderately, then the plant will release new shoots and give re-flowering.
pruning
Perennial salvia needs, which prevents denudation and stretching of shoots, stimulates tillering. Before the onset of winter, perennial salvias need to cut off the old lignified shoots almost completely, leaving a few centimeters with growth buds and young greens. Mulch the soil with compost, additionally cover young salvia with dry foliage, spruce branches.
Salvia pests and diseases
Very rarely, salvia can suffer from fungal infections. Fungicide treatment will help.
The delicate fragrant leaves attract thrips, whiteflies, aphids, mites, slugs and snails.
Snails and slugs can be removed mechanically: collected by hand, lured into traps.
To get rid of any pests, treat with an appropriate insecticide.
Types and varieties of salvia
Taking into account agrotechnical characteristics and biological characteristics, salvia species are divided into 3 groups.
Group 1: thermophilic species(do not tolerate even the slightest frost, so they are grown with us as an annual), originally from the subtropics of America. Let's take a look at this group.
Salvia sparkling or brilliant Salvia splendens
Salvia brilliant photo of flowers grade Salvia splendens ‘Faye Chapel’
Compact, densely leafy shrub 20-80 cm high. Leaves ovoid, entire, petiolate, arranged oppositely. The color of the leaf plate is dark green above and lighter below. The flowers are large, irregularly shaped, have a double perianth, gather 2-6 pieces in a racemose inflorescence 14-25 cm long. The color of the corolla and calyx is bright red.
Varieties of salvia sparkling:
White - the inflorescence is not very dense, against the background of the white color of the corolla, the calyx seems creamy.
Pink - has a shorter inflorescence. The color of the corolla and calyx is pink, the corolla has a velvety texture.
Violet - the catchiness of the bright purple color of the flowers enhances the dense pubescence.
The most popular sparkling salvia are: Salvator, Red Arrows, Sahara, Fire Star.
Salvia bright red Salvia coccinea
Salvia bright red Salvia coccinea cultivar Lady in red Lady in Red photo
Reaches a height of 50-70 cm. Straight stems branch well, have dense pubescence. The leaves are ovate with finely serrate edges, attached on petioles, the surface of the leaf is smooth, the underside is pubescent. The flowers have a fiery red color, gather in a loose whorled inflorescence 15-30 cm long.
Varieties:
- Lady in Red - reaches a height of 40 cm, the flowers are the same.
- Sherry blossom - pink flowers, early flowering.
Salvia mealy Salvia farinacea
Pyramidal shrub 60-90 cm high. Non-capricious, long-flowering. The leaves are oblong-ovate, entire, attached to petioles, pubescent along the veins. The color of the corolla is dark blue, rarely white. A tall peduncle 15-20 cm long consists of 5-30 flowers about 2 cm long.
Type varieties:
- Anshuld - the color of the flowers is white-silver.
- Strata - has blue flowers.
- Victoria - blooms magnificently with dark blue flowers.
Group 2: more cold tolerant and drought tolerant species Mediterranean origin.
Salvia green or variegated Salvia viridis var. Horminum
Only the horminum variety (var. Horminum) is decorative - it is an annual plant 40-60 cm high. It has numerous well-branched stems, they are spicy, covered with glandular pubescence. The leaves are oblong-elliptical in shape, attached to the petioles, also pubescent. Simple inflorescences consist of false whorls with 4-6 pink flowers, bracts are more remarkable - bright pink or juicy purple.
Varieties:
- White swan - white flowers with pink or purple bracts.
- Oxford Blue - the color of the bracts is blue-violet.
- Pink Sandy - pink bracts.
Whorled Salvia Salvia verticillata
Salvia whorled grade Salvia verticillata ‘Purple Rain’ photo
With straight stems, reaches a height of 35-40 cm. The leaves are long-leaved. Stems and leaves densely pubescent. Dense whorled inflorescences consist of 5-30 lilac-blue flowers. The Purple Rain variety has purple calyxes and dark purple corollas.
Salvia dandelion Salvia taraxacifolia photo
Herbaceous plant with straight, poorly branched stems. All parts of this type of salvia exude a pleasant spicy aroma. Cirrus-dissected leaves, irregularly dissected along the edges, are collected in basal rosettes. The surface of the leaf is bare, there is pubescence below. The inflorescence 28 cm long consists of whorls with several flowers. The color of the corolla is pale pink, the pharynx is greenish with purple dots.
Salvia Jurisicha Salvia jurisicii is a species belonging to group 2, but is not of interest to gardeners.
Group 3: cold-resistant species, require shelter only in snowless winters. They are undemanding in care, can grow in the shade, flowering begins from the second year of life.
Salvia oak or forest Salvia nemorosa, Salvia sylvestris
The stems are branched, pubescent, reach a height of about 60 cm. The upper leaves are sessile, smaller than the lower ones, petiolate. Whorled inflorescence has several pairs of lateral branches. Each whorl consists of 2-6 small flowers with a corolla of a blue-violet hue and a purple bract.
Type varieties:
Mainacht - purple-blue color of flowering;
Plumosa - dark lavender flowers;
Amethyst is a pink-purple color of flowers.
Salvia sticky or glandular sage Salvia glutinosa
Most often grown in our latitudes. Plant up to 90 cm high, has numerous straight stems with glandular pubescence. The leaves are large, ovate-triangular in shape with serrated edges, painted in a yellow-green hue, attached on long petioles. Inflorescences loose, whorled, consist of light yellow flowers.
Salvia lush Salvia x superba
Salvia lush Salvia x superba grade ‘Merleau Blue’ photo
Reaches a height of 60 cm, spike-shaped inflorescences, blue-violet flowers.
Varieties:
- Snow Hill - snow-white flowers;
- Blue Queen - dwarf variety with lavender-blue flowers;
- Rose Queen is a low plant with pink flowers.
Species of meadow salvia (Salvia pratensis) and Ethiopian salvia (Salvia aethiopis) also belong to the third group.
Salvia- a name derived from the Latin phrase "be healthy." How is this wish related to the plant? Dentists will answer. They know that the juice of the plant has an astringent and anti-inflammatory effect.
This allows you to use the extract for stomatitis and inflammation of the gums. comes in handy salvia flower and with diseases of the nasopharynx, for example, tonsillitis. It is also inflammatory. In addition, grass is a food and ornamental crop. But first things first.
Features of salvia
Salvia- not a single plant, but a genus of herbs. It belongs to the Yasnotkov family. It includes both annuals and perennials. Common features: a stem with four sides, buds in the axils of the apical leaves and inflorescences-ears, less often - corymbose.
The genus Sylvia includes 700 species. These are compact bushes with a height of 20 centimeters to 1 meter. The bottom of the plants is usually colored in bright hues green, and the tops are dark. From the whorls of the latter, brushes of buds come out, 2-6 in each. The length of one inflorescence varies from 10 to 25 centimeters.
The plant emits red color. Salvia rarely gives buds of other colors. White, purple and pink are the exception to the rule. An exception to the rule is the use of culture as an intoxicating powder. The plant produces an effect on consciousness similar to the effect of grass, that is, hemp. However, the strength of salvia is much less.
Use as a condiment and food crop is standard. salvia seedling good for salads and sweet dishes. Some species, for example Muscat, belong to spicy crops. Their aroma is appreciated by gourmets. But, most use only the decorative properties of the plant.
Not only bright scarlet buds are beautiful, but also foliage. It is glossy or, on the contrary, velvety. In fact, salvia- this a photo sage. Only the last name exists among culinary specialists, and the first is applied to garden varieties and apartment options for bushes.
At decorative types plentiful. The buds open in early summer and stay until the first frost. The plant is sensitive to low temperatures. Approaching zero even for a few hours can destroy landings.
Types of salvia
The most frost-resistant is Medicinal salvia. flower seedling survives short-term drops in temperature to zero. In form, the medicinal species is a grass or a shrub.
In the photo, salvia horminum
The latter reaches a height of 70 centimeters. The name was obtained thanks to medicinal properties. For inflammations, decoctions from the buds and leaves of the plant are used. They are spicy, so they can be added to food.
In cold regions are in demand and salvia seeds Dubravnaya. It is not only resistant to frost, but also the most unpretentious to care of all members of the genus. Flower growers growing salvia in pots share that their plants did without watering for 3-4 weeks. People managed to go on a full vacation.
The last frost-resistant species - Whorled salvia. Buy the plant is sought, as a rule, for urban flower beds and potted compositions. The variety is purely decorative, distinguished by bright, purple and large buds. In all its glory, they appear only in good lighting.
Of the salvias that are tolerant of penumbra, it is worth pointing out the Transylvanian. She has purple. They are quite large, unlike the blue salvia buds. It is strewn with miniature inflorescences. The size of the grass itself is also small. The maximum height is 50 centimeters.
The swamp species belongs to the giants among the representatives of the genus. Photo of salvia seedlings can create a misleading impression.
In reality, you will get a young growth of 50 centimeters, which quickly grows up to 2 meters. The birthplace of the plant South America. From this it is clear that the variety loves heat. From the name it is clear that Salvia Bolotnaya also needs a lot of moisture, both in the air and in the soil.
Pictured is Salvia Divinorum
Tall and salvia divinorum. She also comes from America, but not from the marsh, but from the mountains. To gain a foothold in the stones, the plant has acquired a powerful root system. The grass gives new shoots, barely touching the ground. If the stem reaches it, there will be another one about 1.5 meters high.
as a home and garden plants more often choose miniature species with bright ones. Such, for example, are Salvia Sparkling and Red. Both have bright scarlet buds, fleecy foliage of a rich green color. The growth of herbs is about 40 centimeters. True, the Red species is only a biennial, and the Sparkling Salvia is a perennial plant.
Salvia care at home
We plant salvia, only being confident in their abilities and knowledge, flower growers say. Sages are capricious in care. Most representatives of the genus not only require a lot of sun, but are also afraid of winds and drafts. The soil should be rich in humus. Suitable loams. They retain a lot of moisture that plants need.
It does not do without top dressing. During the growth period, several approaches are required. The minimum program is the application of mineral fertilizers during the period of seedling growth and at the time of ovary buds on it. Top dressing is taken complex, without the predominance of one or another element. The only thing you can focus on is lime. Salvia love when it is present in abundance in the soil.
salvia price
You can buy seeds or seedlings. It takes about three months to grow sage. Therefore, seedlings are not cheap. For a cassette with 10 plants, they ask for 250-350 rubles. If you take in bulk, by placing a preliminary order, you can meet 100 rubles for 50 sprouts.
In the photo, indoor salvia
Piece purchase is 15-17 rubles per seedling. Give the same amount for a bag of seeds of 20-30 pieces. There are packages with big amount grains. These packs are more expensive. The price tag also depends on the variety of sage. For gardening and heat-loving people they ask less. Indoor and frost-resistant varieties cost a pretty penny. You can pay 30 and 50 rubles for a package of seeds.
Taking the seeds, they are planted in February. By the end of spring there will be seedlings ready. In most species of salvia, buds open in early June. Only a few varieties bloom in July and August. At the end of summer, for example, Marsh Sage "ripens". The rest of the time, the grass amazes the audience only with its height and dark green foliage.