Salvia

Vivid red salvia is a marvelous eye-catching plant. I bought red salvia from a nursery last year and this year I have a second-generation crop. The plants are bigger and even more brilliant this year than last. I find that to be true with most carry-overs. I don't know if it's because they start on their own earlier and or because they are not disturbed.

I have salvia in both a hanging basket and in a small clump in the ground. Both are doing very well. This red salvia that I'm growing is an annual, although it hangs around throughout the summer and new plants show up early in the spring.

Salvia grows everywhere and it loves the sun. This is the most well-known and most commonly grown member of the Salvia family. Its distinctive flower spikes are an excellent accent plant for a summer border or mixed bed.

This blue variety, pictured at left, is a perennial and you can see that its stalks and flowers are different than the annual red. I bought this plant last year (2001) from a local nursery and it looked about half dead. However, I was intrigued by the beautiful blue flowers. As you can see, this plant is doing wonderfully in May 2002. It's on the south side of the house where it gets morning and early afternoon sun. When I'm fertilizing other plants with 2-10-10, I will throw a small handful towards this plant and it certainly shows its appreciation. It is about 4 foot tall now and will thrive during our hot and humid summer months.