Salvia sage belongs to the richest in species (there are as many as 900) genus in the Lamiaceae family.They include herbaceous annuals or perennials, as well as bushes and shrubs. Their dorsal, double-lipped flowers are gathered in more or less distant from each other like circles.
In Poland, sage has natural sites: sticky Salvia glutinosa, meadow Salvia pratensis, district Salvia verticillata, mossy Salvia nemorosa and shrub Salvia dumetorum.The botanical generic name comes from the Latin word salvare - to save, heal - due to the healing properties of some species. In Europe, Salvia officinalis has been grown since the Middle Ages. Medicinal raw materials are herbs and leaves, which after drying are infused mainly as anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agents.
Plants of this species grow up to 60 cm, but they do not have any decorative qualities.There are also varieties with decorative leaves.Of these, the following deserve special attention: 'Aurea' with golden-yellow leaves, 'Icterina' - yellow-green, 'Purpurascens' - purple,' Tricolor '- with tricolor, gray-green-purple-purple leaves.
All sage plants are light-loving plants, although they can also grow in slightly shaded positions. Perennial salvia requires light, dry or moderately moist soils with a lot of calcium. In barren and dry gardens, meadow sage does well.On the other hand, sage is suitable for a humus-gravel substrate with moderate humidity, which does not get wet in winter. Annual salvia is more demanding, as it grows and blooms best in sandy loam, fertile, carefully cultivated and moderately moist soils.
Almost all salvia are suitable for creating garden groups and for discounts.Those with blue flowers look particularly attractive in the company of yellow and pink flowers.Meadow sage is used for assumptions such as "dry meadow" or steppe and (similarly to medicinal sage) for naturalistic gardens.
Glossy, scarlet, and drenched sage look great on flowerbeds. Alluring and shiny sage are useful for cut flowers and for drying.The containers can be used for growing all kinds of annual sage, as well as varieties of mossy and medicinal sage.Annual sage is propagated from seeds that are sown from February to mid-March in a warm greenhouse. Pressing the top of the shoot over 3-4 pairs of leaves stimulates the branching of plants.
Annual sage
-Shiny SageSalvia spendens is one of the most popular annual plants. The cultivars are tall (60 cm), medium-tall (35 cm) and short (15-20 cm) varieties. Most varieties have red flowers, but there are also pastel, dark pink, dark plum and cream colors. It blooms from June to fall.
-Scarlet sageSalvia coccinea reaches a height of 50-100 cm.Flowers of red (in the varieties: white or salmon) in color are set in loose clusters.Blooms in the full summer.
- Sage soakedSalvia farinacea grows to a height of 60-80 cm. It has strongly branched and profusely leafy stems. Its purple or white flowers are embedded in whorls gathered in long, narrow spikes. It blooms from late June to late autumn.
-Alluring sageSalvia viridis grows up to a height of 60 cm. It is decorated with large flowers in violet-blue, pink and white colors. The flowers are hardly visible.
-Open sageSalvia patens with flowers in a rare blue-potentate color blooms less than other species, but later - from August to October.Reaches a height of 70 cm.Although it is a bulbous plant, in our country it is propagated from seeds. But the tubers can be kept indoors in winter and planted into the ground in spring, such as dahlias.
Perennial sage
-Mossy sageSalvia nemorosa is the most commonly grown bedding perennial.Reaches 20-50 cm in height, and 30-70 cm in varieties.Forms dense clumps of erect and branched shoots at the top with long spiky inflorescences at the top. The flowers of the species are blue-violet, and the varieties are purple ('Rosenwein'), pink ('Merleau Rose', 'Rosakönigin'), blue ('Ostfriesland', 'Blauhügel', 'Negrito'), white ('Adrian', 'Alba '), purple (' Lubeca '), navy blue (' Mainacht '), violet-blue (' Caradonna ',' Laurin ',' Markus').Mossy sage blooms profusely and very effectively in summer. It can be stimulated to re-flower by cutting low shoots. She is honey-giving.
- Meadow sageSalvia pratensis grows wild in Poland on hills, dry meadows and thickets.It has erect, slightly branched stems 30-80 cm high.She's hairy and sticky. Long spiky inflorescences are made of whorls composed of only 3-6 wide-open purple-blue or white ('Alba') flowers. The plant blooms from June to September.
-County SageSalvia verticillata is a very decorative perennial with raised (slightly branched overhead) and profusely leafy shoots 50-60 cm high (some varieties - from 80 to 100 cm) ). The inflorescences are made of pygmy feathers with many very tiny flowers. Their colors are different, in the lavender-blue species, in the 'White Rain' and 'Alba' varieties - white, 'Purple Rain' - purple-violet, and in 'Smouldering Torches' - blue-violet.The last variety is characterized by a stronger growth (100 cm), while 'White Rain' is weaker (50 cm). County sage blooms from late May to September.
-Clary sageSalvia sclarea is a short-lived perennial, usually dying after it has been seeded. Creates decorative rosettes of large, oval leaves up to 20 cm long.It has wide-branched, very effective inflorescence shoots up to 100 cm high, composed of small light lilac flowers set on much larger pink-lilac flowers.Blooms in July-August and always catches the eye as a beautiful garden accent.
