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Sage in Latin is called Salvia, it is under this name in Our Country that they know the decorative variety of this plant. Salvia appeared in Europe several centuries ago, they belong to the Lamiaceae family and exist in nature as perennials. To avoid confusion, it is customary to divide plants of this species into two groups and call only medicinal species sage, and decorative salvia. The cultivation of perennial salvia in a temperate climate has its own characteristics, because this plant is of tropical origin. Despite the increased love of the plant for warmth and the sun, hundreds of species of cultivated sage can easily exist in flower beds and flower beds of the northern country.
Photos of perennial salvia flowers, a description of popular varieties can be found in this article. Here we will talk about the seedlings of this plant and when and how to plant it, how to care for flowers, what to do with salvia in winter.
Description of the species
Medicinal sage has been known since ancient Rome. There are many varieties of this plant, each of which has its own medicinal properties and is actively used in medicine.
In ornamental salvia, the inflorescences are larger, the color of the flowers is brighter and more diverse, therefore it is customary to decorate household plots, parks and gardens with such varieties.
As a species, Salvia and sage officinalis have a lot of similar qualities:
- plant type – spongy, rhizomatous, herbaceous;
- the stem of salvia is erect, ascending, has a tetrahedral section;
- the height of the stems, depending on the variety of sage, can vary from 20 cm to 1,5 meters;
- leaves are elongated, entire, arranged in pairs – oppositely;
- the upper part of the leaf plate is green, and the lower part has a whitish color;
- root system of the rod type, powerful, with many lateral thin roots;
- individual flowers are small, but collected in large spike-shaped inflorescences;
- the length of the inflorescence usually exceeds 20 cm and can reach 50 cm;
- in each spikelet of the inflorescence there are up to 90 single flowers;
- the traditional color of salvia is red, but selection does not stand still, and today there is a decorative sage of pink, purple, orange and lilac shades;
- the plant is thermophilic, all types of salvia do not tolerate frost;
- sage is unpretentious, does not need complex care;
- the flower loves the sun and loose nutrient soils.
Perennial ornamental sage
In nature, sage grows on all continents of the Earth, except for Australia, but this plant comes from the subtropics and tropics.
Depending on the climate in which salvia was “born”, it is customary to divide all its varieties into three large groups:
- subtropical look, accustomed to heat and the sun, therefore categorically does not tolerate frost and low temperatures. Subtropical salvia in Our Country can only be grown as an annual.
- Mediterranean sage is more resistant to cold and the vagaries of the weather, but it also cannot stand sub-zero temperatures. Such salvia in temperate climates can be grown as a biennial plant, but for the winter the flowers should be covered or brought into heat.
- salvia perennial – the most resistant to cold type. In regions with snowy or mild winters, the flower does not even need to be covered. For several seasons, sage will delight with its bright colors, and will begin to bloom from the second year after planting.
Salvia officinalis
This group includes meadow and forest sage varieties with medicinal or spicy properties. In height, such flowers usually grow up to a maximum of 70 cm. Flowers are not afraid of cold and shade.
Not all types of medicinal sage are decorative, but the most beautiful of them are:
- grade Nectar, growing up to a meter in height, having pubescent leaves and large inflorescences of a purple or heavenly hue;
- у Semko of the Patriarch long pointed leaves, and the maximum height of the bushes is 0,7 meters;
- Breeze more compact – only 60 cm in height, has leaves with a serrated edge and azure-colored inflorescences;
- Aibolit pleases with the huge size of the bush – up to 120 cm, has large wrinkled leaves and bright flowers;
- Blue Queen refers to forest species, its inflorescences are painted blue (there is a Pink Queen variety, respectively, with pink inflorescences);
- Plumosis considered oak sage, and this species is very resistant to cold, the flowers are painted in a rich lavender hue;
- Alba refers to the whorled species of sage officinalis, it blooms in white.
Each of the varieties of medicinal sage is not only beautiful in appearance, but also has its own healing properties: one species is able to stop bleeding, another relieves inflammation or pain, a decoction of the third has a beneficial effect on internal organs. And then there are the spicy types of sage used in cooking and various drinks.
Mediterranean group
Perennial salvia native to the Mediterranean tolerate cold well, can grow in the driest regions, and require little or no care. But this kind of decorative sage is not able to endure the harsh winters. That’s why in temperate climates, Mediterranean varieties are most often grown as biennials – for the winter, flowers are securely covered or transferred to the house.
Horminum – green or variegated variety
Salvia Horminum is an ornamental variety with colored subflowers, whorled inflorescences of various shades. The height of the flower is 40-60 cm, its bush is sprawling, well leafy, dense.
The stems of Horminum are spicy, they are covered with a small fluff. The leaves are elongated, oval, pubescent. The inflorescence is a false whorl, consisting of 4-6 pink flowers. Bracts look more bright, which can have a different color: from pink and hot pink to deep purple.
Popular varieties of Mediterranean salvia perennial:
- White Swan, having bracts of purple or pink;
- Oxford Blue with unusual blue flowers;
- Pink Sandy – salvia with bracts of a bright pink hue.
Salvia Verticillata
Whorled salvia has straight stems growing up to 30-40 cm. The leaves have long petioles, they, like the stems, are densely pubescent. The inflorescences are collected in dense whorled spikelets, each of which has from five to thirty flowers.
The shade of inflorescences in whorled salvia is usually purple or lilac-blue. ==The most popular variety is Purple Rain, which has purple stems and bright purple corollas.==
Dandelion sage
The stem of this species is straight and poorly branched. The plant is herbaceous, all its parts exude a strong spicy aroma. The leaves are pinnate, strongly dissected, collected in root rosettes. The lower part of the leaf is pubescent, the outside surface of the leaf plate is glossy.
The inflorescences are whorled, reaching 30 cm. The corollas are light pink, the pharynx is greenish with purple speckles.
perennial varieties
The third group includes the most resistant varieties of salvia, which even in Our Country can be grown as perennials. These flowers are not afraid of frost, can winter without shelter (provided that the winter is snowy), grow well in the shade and in partial shade, and are undemanding in care.
Sage glandular or glutinous
This flower grows everywhere in Our Country, as it is probably the most adapted to the climate of this country. The height of the bushes can reach 90 cm, the stems are pubescent, glandular.
The shape of the leaf is ovate-triangular, the leaves are painted in a yellowish-green tint, have jagged edges and are covered with fluff. Salvia inflorescences are loose, have a yellowish tint and whorl shape.
lush sage
Superb sage more commonly referred to as lush salvia. This flower grows up to a maximum of sixty centimeters, has inflorescences collected in spikelets and painted in a rich lavender color.
Popular varieties of lush salvia:
- snow hill – perennial salvia with snow-white large inflorescences;
- Blue Queen pleases with compact low bushes and very bright blue-violet flowers;
- Rose Quinn – also a “dwarf”, very compact, with flowers of a pink hue.
The third, resistant species of perennials also includes meadow salvia and Ethiopian salvia, but they are less commonly grown in the country.
Color reproduction
Perennial varieties of salvia can be propagated by seeds, seedlings, cuttings and layering. Seeds are the fruit of sage flowering and are in boxes, from which they fall to the ground very easily. At the end of winter, seedlings begin to grow – sage seeds are not planted due to the long growing season.
Until the end of summer, salvia can be propagated with semi-lignified cuttings. Cuttings should be cut at a height of about 15 cm and placed in water or in loose nutrient soil. After two weeks, roots should appear, after another 10-15 days, salvia can be planted in a permanent place.
Air layering is also a great way to propagate. They are simply pinned to the ground and the next year the rooted bush is separated from the mother plant.
Cultivation and care
Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out as early as February, because at least two months must have passed by the time they are transplanted into the ground. Salvia seedlings are very weak, so all work with it is carried out with great care.
It is much easier to propagate flowers by cuttings or layering. Heat-loving sage is transferred to the soil to a permanent place not earlier than May – the weather should stabilize, and the earth should warm up.
Caring for salvia is simple, it needs:
- watering with warm water;
- loosening the soil or mulching;
- formative pruning (applies to perennial species);
- top dressing with complex mineral fertilizers.
Conclusion
A photo of a bright salvia leaves no one indifferent – you immediately want to start such a miracle in your own garden. When choosing a sage variety, it is worth considering the climate in a particular region. Best of all in the middle lane, perennial salvia varieties that can withstand even frost showed themselves.
