Salvias or sage: Call it what you will, it's beautiful
Salvias always make a statement in a Southwest Florida garden. They come in multiple colors — red, blue, yellow, pink, purple and more — and they can withstand our summer heat and sun.
If you’re not sure what I mean, buy some and hang on. We will talk in the fall.
Salvias are sold almost everywhere but the fun is searching for those that are rarer and not often seen. I’m always searching for something a little different.
Step out sometimes. Salvias can be annuals, biannual, and perennials, and thee are 800 to 900 different kinds within the species.
Butterflies are crazy over these plants; the winter varieties are favorites of southern Florida’s hummingbirds (ruby throat); and they're always big with the bees.
On the west coast, salvias are really counted on by the monarchs to sustain them on their fall migration trip to Mexico, as well as their arrival back here in the spring.
Deadheading is a must for continuous blooming. Stems should be removed (cut to the ground) when they're spent. Following these two steps will result in numerous flowers and better looking plants in your garden.
There are many types of salvia that thrive in southern Florida, but I will share just some of my favorites.
Salvia leucantha, also called Mexican Sage, has purple flowers with silver weeping stems that love the Florida sun. Just this year, we found for the first time some with pinkish white flowers, which is really different.
Hot lips salvia, with its white body and bright red lips. Both flowers and leaves have a fragrance in this bushy salvia.
Black and blue salvia is just beautiful, with flowers of cobalt blue and an even darker, almost black color. Also known as Salvia guaranitica, it is a showstopper. Hummingbirds love this one, too.
Salvia Wendy’s wish is a new hybrid that came on the gardening scene a few years ago. It is a major bloomer from spring through fall. Magenta pink flowers against a dark green foliage make a compact flowering shrub.
All Salvias can be grown in containers, making them very versatile in southern Florida’s gardens in the summertime, where the livin’ is easy. There are many more species of salvia, from one to four feet tall, and in a rainbow of colors. Go out see how many different species you can find; that’s part of the fun.
Don’t forget to help save the monarch butterfly plant milkweed and keep butterflying!
Mike Malloy, known as Naples “butterfly guy” sells host and nectar plants for butterflies as well as tropical plants at the Third St. So. Farmer’s market every Saturday morning.