Time is running out! Free shipping on plant order $99+ with code: OCTOBER99 (*Exclusions apply)

Happy, healthy, plants grown by experts and shipped right to your doorstep.

Free Shipping On Plant Orders $99+ Use code:

OCTOBER99

Growing Salvia and Which Varieties to Try

Growing Salvia and Which Varieties to Try

Charlotte... |

Wonderfully cold-hardy perennials, Salvia are pollinator-friendly, brightly colored, vertical growing flowering plants! Blooming from summer until frost in many cases, Salvia are easy to grow and vibrant herbaceous plants with loads of appeal!

Members of the Mint Family, Salvia is aromatic from top to bottom with an herbal fragrance and lots of vital nectar for butterflies, bees, and even Hummingbirds! Also known as Common Sage, and Meadow Sage, these drought and deer-tolerant perennials are natives to Mexico and South America!

Of the 500 species available and 30 current varieties at Nature Hills, how do you choose just one?

    Gorgeous Perennial Salvia

    Hardy Salvia perennials come in about every flower color out there! Similar to Russian Sage, Lavender, Catmint, Catnip, and Veronica, these spires of vivid color form tidy clumps of mounded, aromatic foliage.

    Growing Salvia is one of the most rewarding tasks that any gardener can accomplish! Fantastic in the Perennial and Cottage border, in the Rock Gardens, and in Pollinator Gardens. Spreading politely when happy in their planting site, you’ll enjoy having these forming living mulch and waves of vivid groundcover.

    Wonderful not only for feeding and attracting a wide variety of pollinators, but the blooms are dramatic vertical interest in the garden and the floral bouquet! So be sure to plant one or more in your Cut Flower Garden!

    Wonderful as edging and facer plants, add a textured fringe between your lawn and garden with these vivid reliable repeat bloomers!

    Darkest Purple Salvia

    Deep and dark purple blooms on darker, sometimes near-black stems, and standing atop a mound of dark green foliage, these are the gorgeous far end of the purple spectrum specimens!

    • May Night Salvia (perennial zones 4-9)
    • East Friesland Salvia (perennial zones 4-9)
    • Blue Marvel Salvia (perennial zones 4-9)
    • Salvia Mystic Spires (annual, perennial in zones 7-9)
    • Blue By You Salvia (perennial in zones 4-9)
    darkest purple

    Light Lavender-Blue Purple

    Soft and subtle, these Perennial Salvia look more like their close cousins Lavender herbs. Edging into the blue shades for ethereal waves of upright wands, these Salvia will have you singing the blue.

    • Evolution Salvia (annual, or perennial in zones 8-10)
    • Azure Snow Salvia (zones 3-8)
    • Salvia Blue Hill (zones 4-8)
    • Black and Blue Salvia (annual, or perennial in zones 7-10)
    light lavender blue

    White Flowering Salvia

    Fantastic white blooms have all the qualities of their more colorful family members, but with lovely silver and white hues to soothe you and your landscape!

    • Salvia Snow Hill (perennial in zones 4-9)
    • Salute™ White Salvia (perennial in zones 5-9)

    Pink Flowering Salvia

    Eye-popping pink, both light and dark will enchant you and every butterfly in the area!

    • Pink Autumn Sage (Annual, perennial in zones 7-9)
    • Rose Marvel Salvia (perennial in zones 4-9)
    • Color Spires® Back to the Fuchsia Salvia (perennial in zones 3-8)
    • Pink Profusion Perennial Salvia (perennial in zones 3-8)
    • FASHIONISTA™ Pretty In Pink Salvia (perennial in zones 3-8)
    • Salvia Bumbleberry (perennial in zones 3-8)

    Red Hot Salvia

    Now for something unexpected, red-flowering Salvia will light up your container gardens and draw hummingbirds galore!

    • Windwalker Royal Red Salvia (perennial in zones 5-9)
    • Furmans Red Salvia
    • Saucy™ Red Salvia
    • Radio Red Autumn Sage
    red salvia

    Hot Climate Perennial Salvia

    Not all Salvia available are cold-hardy, some are extremely heat tolerant and more tropical blooming plants! Northern growers can still enjoy these flowering plants as annual accents!

    • Hummingbird Sage
    • Amistad Salvia
    • Bodacious® Rhythm and Blues Salvia
    • Hot Lips Salvia
    • Mexican Bush Sage
    • Pink Autumn Sage

    Best Salvia For Containers & Porch Planters

    Thriving in the sun and ok if you miss the occasional watering! Try these lovely Perennial Salvia for your patio planters!

    • Marcus Salvia
    • Caradonna Meadow Sage
    • Salvia Bumbleberry
    • New Dimension™ Rose Salvia
    container planting salvia

    Salvia For Floral Design & Cut Flower Gardens

    Dress up bouquets with tall spires of vivid color, full of tightly packed little two-lipped blooms!

    • Azure Snow Salvia
    • Hot Lips Salvia
    • Salvia Bumbleberry
    • FASHIONISTA™ Pretty In Pink Salvia
    cut flower salvia

    Edible Salvia!

    Better known as Culinary Sage, this beloved Gerb is common in the kitchen spice rack, but a knockout in the garden since it displays the same aromatic foliage and showy blooms as its ornamental cousins!

    • Sage Plant
    • Common Sage Plant
    • Intense Sage
    • Robert Grimm Dwarf Culinary Sage

    Perennial Salvia Care

    Hardy down to USDA growing zones 3 and up to 11, Perennial Salvia requires very little care, as long as the proper conditions are given. Loving moderate yet regular moisture while getting established, plant Salvia in a very well-drained location and apply a 3-4 inch thick layer of mulch over the soil surface for moisture retention and insulation.

    Once established, many varieties of Salvia are actually quite xeric and drought tolerant! But to keep those blooms pumping, give them a drink during extended drought and throughout the worst of the summer heat, especially in the hotter climates.

    • Salvia plants require full sun in order to grow and flower
    • Good drainage is needed to help prevent root rot
    • Salvia will thrive in a variety of soil and water conditions as long as it is well-drained
    • Moderate to low moisture needs once established
    Salvia care

    Prune early spring to clean the mound and encourage an even flush of new growth each spring. Deadhead after the first flush of blooms fade to encourage a second, and sometimes even a third in warmer climates! 

    When Salvia's clumps get larger after about 3-5 years, it's recommended you divide the larger plant into several small plants in order to rejuvenate them and increase their flowering and vigor.

    Scintillating Salvia!

    Diverse in color and size, Perennial Salvia are beloved by all, open your garden up to the many curious pollinators and beneficial insects alike! Check out all the fantastic varieties available for your garden today at Nature Hills!

    Happy Planting!

    Shop salvia

    Find Your Garden's Growing Zone!

    Error, Unable to locate a growing zone for that ZIP code.

    When ordering a tree or plant, make sure to know your planting zone.

    You can determine your garden’s USDA hardiness zone by entering your Zip Code below.

    {"statementLink":"","footerHtml":"","hideMobile":false,"hideTrigger":false,"disableBgProcess":false,"language":"en","position":"left","leadColor":"#146ff8","triggerColor":"#146ff8","triggerRadius":"50%","triggerPositionX":"right","triggerPositionY":"bottom","triggerIcon":"people","triggerSize":"medium","triggerOffsetX":20,"triggerOffsetY":20,"mobile":{"triggerSize":"small","triggerPositionX":"right","triggerPositionY":"bottom","triggerOffsetX":10,"triggerOffsetY":10,"triggerRadius":"50%"}}