Zone 3 Plants: Salvia

  

Disruption: Salvias are a large group of garden plants that includes annuals, biennials, perennials, and shrubs. The perennial salvias are mainstays of the midsummer garden border. Another common name is sage. A relative of the familiar kitchen sage, flowering salvias produce spikes of small, densely packed flowers atop aromatic foliage.

Hardy: Zone 3


Bloom Time: Early to late summer

Height: 18'' to 4 -5 feet tall (depending on virility)

Spacing: 15'' apart

Sun Needs: Full sun to part shade (prefers full sun)


Water Needs: Medium

Outstanding Features: Easy care/low maintenance, good for cut flowers, attracts hummingbirds, tolerates dry soil.

Uses: Cut flowers, flower gardens

Tips: Cut back to the ground in very early spring, and divide every few years as needed to control size.

Planting Instructions: Plant in spring, spacing plants 1 to 3 feet apart, depending on the variety. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the pot the plant is in. Carefully remove the plant from its container and place it in the hole so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. Carefully fill in around the root ball and firm the soil gently. Water thoroughly.