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SALVIA GUIDES

red flowering salvia plant growing in a pot outside

Common ProblemsContainer GrowingCuttings PropagationDeadheadingDivisionHarvestingOverwinteringPlantingPruningVarieties – Hot Lips – Common Sage – Pink Varieties – Woodland Sage

salvia plants ’ unusual , on an irregular basis - shaped flowers are as much a goody to the centre as the zesty leaves that are a dainty to the roof of the mouth in pot joint and stuffing .

You may be wonder if you may grow sage in containers .

red flowering salvia plants growing in two different shaped pots growing outside in front of a wall

as luck would have it for you , this clause has all the answer .

Can You Grow Salvia In Pots?

Yes , you may , and if you are uprise salvia varieties that are brave only to H3 , you probably should .

That way you wo n’t have any troubleprotecting the frost - tender plants over the winter , as Vicki Weston from Weston ’s Salvias explains :

“ Salvias will grow happily in containers and , for the tender varieties , many of which are still in spectacular flower in November , it ’s indispensable . ”

close-up of a sage seedling growing in a seed tray cell from a suitable compost mix

Choosing Suitable Containers

I ’d recommend you select a terra - cotta flowerpot with drainage holes .

It ’s honorable to stave off container made of plastic and other celluloid materials .

As for the size of the container , this depends on the present size of the works and , eventually , on its ultimate height and spread .

salvia plant being planted into a long container next to other herbs outside

“ I cogitate that many people habituate containers for sage because they are neural about their plants surviving over winter , ” Vicki says .

“ think back that shrubby types grow one thousand of feet up in the South American mint , so they are rugged .

“ Hot Lips , Royal Bumble and lots of other miscellanea are hardy to -10 ° C and , ironically , as a container is colder , they are less safe in the winter in a pot than in the ground ! ”

red flowering sage with long stems growing in a black pot outside with other potted plants in the background

Salvia varieties ’ ultimate heights lay out from a compact 0.3 - 2 m , so the size of the container will be very variable .

I ’d advocate opt a container with a acme that is about one-half as much as the current summit of the plant , or even a little more .

Salvia stem grow relatively quickly and it has a well - spread root system , so be certain to pot on or consider using a big pot in the first place .

salvia plant with purple flowers growing in a large black container on a wall outside in front of a wooden fence

Choosing Compost

Salvias perform best in pretty fecund , but not overly rich , soil with some organic subject matter , but they are susceptible to beginning rot so excellent drain is non - transferrable .

“ take a very good potting soil with little organic matter so the filth does n’t become glowering due to a lack of atomic number 8 , ” send word Lyndi Garnett , from the Victorian Salvia Study Group .

For all salvia except Rosemary varieties , you ca n’t go untimely with a high - quality outdoor or all - purpose potting mix .

Otherwise , loose soil that is a mix of moxie or perlite , Baroness Dudevant , and organic compost will do very well for most salvia .

For Rosemary varieties , less prolific soil such as a balanced loam should be used .

The soil should be kept moist , though it should be allowed to dry out out between waterings .

Potting Up Salvia

Potted Salvia works will call for to be potted up until they attain their ultimate size .

Nearly all sage should not be left in their original containers permanently as they can become rootbound with ensuant stress on the plant , stimulate it eventually to go .

Whether you pot on or transplant your salvia , a sunny May morning would be idealistic .

For most Salvia assortment we suggest that the new pot should be two sizes up from the current one .

thinly water the potted salvia , then moil a planting pickle that is a little deeper and a little wider than the industrial plant ’s potful .

Remove the Salvia with the soil from the pot , then mildly shake out some of the territory from the antecedent .

If the roots are well dispersed , place the crown in the golf hole to transpose , but if they are rootbound then you will require to loosen the solution and spread them out before come out into the new container .

A good means to do so is to dunk the root system into a tub of clean , cold water , lightly lap them around , and part them .

Backfill around the hole , tauten up the soil and water system exhaustively .

For full - grow recurrent salvia , I ’d evoke that you grow only one per pot so that the pot ’s dimension are appropriate for the given plant life ’s size .

Most salvia varieties command soil nutrients to bring forth the most centre - captivate heyday and the most delectable folio , so it is wise to permit each works represent by itself .

“ sight can be positioned in various locations – shade or sunshine , ” allege Lyndi .

“ Most like a sunny shelter position , but it can diverge , so check the preferences for the varieties you are growing . ”

Pot-Grown Salvia Care

For the most part , salvia in commode should be save in full sun in a sheltered speckle .

variety that are hardy to H6 or H7 may be kept in an expose locating .

Whether your salvia flora are in container or in open footing , even deadheading will prolong blooming .

During blistering summertime , keep an optic on salvia container keep in full sun .

If the plant is drooping , increase the relative frequency of watering and tilt it to a partly sunny location where it will get mottled or percolate sunlight .

“ irrigate your potted salvias around once a week with veritable feeding , ” recommends Lyndi .

“ verify there ’s lots of air around the pot and that you do n’t over weewee . ”

Fertilise these plants once a class in the spring with a balanced insure - handout fertiliser , taking care to apply the product in balance to the size of the plant and the container .

As salvia varieties deviate widely in hardiness from Robert Lee Frost - tender H2 plants such asSalvia dombeyi(giant Bolivian sage ) all the way of life to full brave H7 ones such asSalvia x superba(hybrid sage ) – whether or not wintertime care is required will be up to the special sort .

“ Know your plant – perennial or herbaceous , ” advises Lyndi .

“ If it becomes winter dormant , it is herbaceous and should be overwinter accordingly . ”

In general , varieties that are not hardy in your region should be overwintered indoors or preserve in a greenhouse .