Plant salvia outdoors. Planting salvia flowers for seedlings

Salvia is a genus of perennial shrubs and herbaceous plants belonging to the Lamiaceae or Lamiaceae family. In its natural environment, the plant grows in all regions with a temperate and tropical climate, with the exception of Australia. There are over 800 varieties of the Salvia genus. At the same time, a medicinal plant used in traditional medicine is called sage to eliminate confusion, and only decorative species are called salvia.

Short description

Despite the fact that salvia is a perennial, in Russia it is grown for one or two years. Under a thick layer of snow, the plant will easily overwinter, but will freeze in the winter months with little snow.

The stems of salvia are quite high, reaching a height of no more than 1 meter. The leaves are deep green on the upper side and whitish on the underside. They are solid and are located one against the other. Salvia inflorescences consist of small flowers that are collected in 15-centimeter spikes or panicles of various shades.

The plant is used in landscape design and flower beds. During the period of active growth, it does not lose its shape, and the different heights of the bushes allow it to be used to create multi-tiered compositions. Salvia is used not only for landscaping urban flower beds, but also for decorating household plots.

Popular types and varieties

Experts distinguish 3 main groups of varieties of this plant - American subtropical, frost-resistant and Mediterranean. American subtropical species are grown as annuals because they are not hardy.

Salvia brilliant

The most popular variety of the American group is the brilliant (sparkling) salvia. The plant reaches a height of about 70 cm and has lush foliage. The flowers of this type of salvia are large and are collected in brushes of several pieces. The inflorescences reach a length of about 25 cm. Most often, the corolla is painted in a rich red hue, but sometimes they are purple, snow-white or pink. The most valuable is purple salvia. The flowering period of brilliant salvia falls at the beginning of summer and lasts until autumn. The most common varieties of this species are the Fire Star, Salvador and Red Arrows.

Bright red salvia

Another popular variety in this group is the bright red salvia. She has petiolate leaves, ovoid in shape. The inflorescences grow to about 30 cm in length and consist of large red flowers with long tubes. It begins to bloom in mid-summer and continues until the first frost. The most famous varieties are Lady in Red and Sherry.

Powdery salvia

Such a species from the subtropical group as mealy salvia stands out as decorative. In height, the plant reaches no more than 90 cm and has oblong foliage with fluff located exclusively along the veins. Compared with other varieties of inflorescence, powdery salvia is small in size (no more than 20 cm), but, nevertheless, the species is of high value due to its long and beautiful flowering. The flowering period of the plant lasts from the end of summer and ends closer to the beginning of the winter months. At this time, white and deep blue corollas appear in mealy salvia. Common plant varieties are Anschuld, Victoria and Strata.

variegated salvia

Compared to the American group, the Mediterranean ones are more resistant to cold, but only if they are pre-insulated. They also tolerate drought and nutrient deficiencies more easily. In this group, the most popular is the variegated salvia (viridis). Well-known variegated salvia varieties are Pink Sandy and Oxford Blue. The description of the viridis is as follows:

• height about 60 cm;
• a large number of branching stems;
• dense foliage covered with down;
• simple inflorescences no more than 30 cm in length;
• bracts pinkish or purple.

Dandelion Salvia

A herbaceous variety from the Mediterranean group is dandelion-leaved salvia. Her rosette is basal, the leaves are dissected, with a margin on the back. Inflorescences grow no more than 28 cm in length. Flowers come with pink corollas and unusual emerald-colored pharynx with purple splashes. The main feature of this species is that all its parts smell good.

oak salvia

For cultivation in Russia, varieties belonging to the frost-resistant group are best suited. Their distinctive feature is not only resistance to cold, but also abundant flowering, which begins only a year after planting in open ground. Common in this group is a species such as oak or forest salvia. The bush reaches a height of no more than 60 cm. The lower petiole leaves are slightly smaller compared to the upper ones. The inflorescences are clusters of small flowers with purple corollas. The flowering period is from early summer to autumn. The most popular varieties are Amethyst, Plumaozu and Mainakht.

Care and planting in open ground

It is recommended to plant salvia in a light, waterproof soil enriched with lime. The landing site should be well lit, as all varieties love the sun. It is desirable to plant a plant in open ground in late spring or early summer. In the dug pits, located at a distance of 25 cm from each other, it is necessary to add a little humus and only then transfer the bush from the pot.

Care includes performing all the usual manipulations, such as watering, fertilizing, weeding and loosening the soil. Watering is recommended after the soil dries out, in the evening, without using a large amount of water. Some time after watering, loosen the soil and remove weeds, if any. It is desirable to feed the plant with complex mineral fertilizer several times during the summer.

Perennials need formative pruning, which prevents stretching and exposure of the shoots and stimulates the growth of new shoots. As soon as the flowering period ends, wilted flowers must be removed. Before wintering, salvia should also be sheared and old shoots cut off so that a few centimeters of buds remain.

Plant salvia (lat. Salvia), or sage- a numerous genus of herbaceous and shrubby perennials of the Lamiaceae or Lamiaceae family, common in tropical and temperate regions of all parts of the world except Australia. The name "salvia" is derived from the Latin "salvus", which means "to be healthy", and this is due to the fact that some types of plants have been used for medicinal purposes since time immemorial. Nothing heals a flux faster than gargling with sage tea.

There are only about 900 representatives of the Salvia genus, and they all prefer to grow in bright places. To avoid confusion, the medicinal plant and spice are called sage, and the ornamental plants of this genus are called salvia. And although salvia is also sage, it is used for decorative purposes. Salvia officinalis has been known to people since the time of the Roman Empire, but salvia flowers were brought to Europe only in the 18th century, during the era of the horticultural boom. Separate from other species in the classification is salvia divinorum, the so-called "predictor's sage", or narcotic sage, from the leaves of which salvinorin, a psychoactive hallucinogen, is extracted. But in our article we will focus on salvia - an ornamental shrub.

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Planting and Caring for Salvia (at a Glance)

• Landing: sowing seeds in open ground in spring or before winter. Seedlings are sown for seedlings from mid-February to early March, and seedlings are planted in open ground in late May or early June.
• Bloom: from June to autumn frosts.
• Lighting: bright sunlight or partial shade.
• The soil: rich in lime, light, dry, permeable.
• Watering: evening, after drying of the top layer of soil.
• Top dressing: the first time - during the seedling period with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer, the second time - during the budding period.
• Reproduction: one- and two-year-old species - only by seeds, perennials - by seeds, dividing the bush and stem cuttings.
• Pests: thrips, aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, snails and slugs.
• Diseases: peronosporosis, root cancer, rust, powdery mildew, chlorosis, fusarium wilt, rhizoctoniosis.

Read more about growing salvia below.

Salvia flower - description

The salvia flower is a rhizome plant, perennial in nature, but in our latitudes it is almost always grown as an annual or biennial, and although some species tolerate winter well in the garden, they freeze in snowless or little snowy winters. The stems of Salvia are erect or ascending, tetrahedral, sometimes reaching a height of 120 cm. The leaves are whole, sometimes pinnately dissected, located oppositely on petioles, the upper side of the plate is darker green, while the lower side is whitish.

In the photo: Purple salvia

Small flowers are collected at the ends of the stems in complex whorled spike-shaped or paniculate inflorescences 15-20 cm long, brightly colored bracts attract the eye - pink, white, purple or purple. Salvia fruit consists of four nuts. Salvia seeds reach maturity a month after the start of flowering and remain viable for up to five years.

Growing salvia from seeds

When to sow salvia

One-year and two-year-old salvia is grown from seeds, perennial salvia is propagated both by seeds and vegetatively - by dividing the bush or cuttings. Growing salvia from seeds involves the use of both seedling and seedless methods. With a seedless method, seeds are sown in the ground before winter or spring.

But such a species, for example, as brilliant salvia, or sparkling salvia (Salvia splendens), reproduces exclusively by seedlings.

By the way, in stores, both seeds and granules are sold as planting material, which, in addition to the seed, contain substances that make seedlings stronger and more resistant, but the granules germinate more slowly than an ordinary seed. When is the best time to sow salvia seedlings? Sowing salvia in boxes is carried out from mid-February to early March.

In the photo: Growing salvia in a flower bed

salvia seedling

Seeds or granules are sown in moist loose soil superficially or to a depth of no more than 2 mm, the content temperature is about 25 ºС. You will have to water the crops in a pan or from a sprayer, and to keep the soil moist longer, cover the box with crops with paper. Shoots will appear within two weeks or a month. Your next task is to grow seedlings with a strong root system that will allow the plant to quickly take root in the ground.

To do this, the shoots dive twice:

• the first time when two or three true leaves appear, the sprouts are transplanted into another box at a distance of 5 cm from each other, deepening them into the soil along the cotyledon leaf;
• the second time the seedlings are transplanted three weeks after the first pick into separate pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm.

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When the third or fourth true leaf develops, the sprouts are pinched to stimulate tillering. From April, you can start hardening seedlings, for which the night temperature is lowered to 10 ºС.

In the photo: Red salvia

Planting Salvia

When to plant salvia

Salvia prefers light sandy soil, while rich in lime, humus and permeable. The site should be sunny, since all types of salvia are sun-loving, and only salvia sticky can grow in partial shade. Salvia seedlings are planted in the ground when the threat of night frosts recedes - approximately at the beginning of June.

How to plant salvia

Planting and caring for salvia will not seem difficult even for novice gardeners, especially since hardened seedlings prepared for life in the garden tolerate transplanting perfectly. In each hole dug at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, before transferring the salvia bush from the pot, add a handful of humus.

salvia care

How to grow salvia

Caring for salvia includes the same garden work as caring for any garden plant - watering, weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing with fertilizers. All these works should be done as the need arises. Water the soil when the ground under the salvia dries well. after the previous watering, and only in the evening, but do not pour too much water, as the plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture in the roots. Some time after watering, loosen the soil and remove weeds, if any.

Top dressing from complex mineral fertilizers is applied at least twice during the summer: the first time seedlings are fed with a weak solution, the second time - during the formation of buds.

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perennial salvia will give you more trouble than an annual or two-year-old (sown with seeds before winter), because it also needs a formative pruning, which will not allow the shoots to stretch and become bare, stimulates the tillering and growth of young shoots. When the perennial salvia has faded, remove wilted flowers from the bush, and before winter dormancy or at the beginning of the next growing season, arrange a salvia haircut: cut off old lignified shoots so that only a few centimeters remain with buds and young greens.

In the photo: Blue salvia

Salvia pests and diseases

Salvia is so rarely affected by diseases that it makes no sense to talk about it. As for pests, sometimes the plant is affected by whiteflies, thrips, aphids or mites, as well as slugs and snails that eat the delicate salvia foliage.

snails And slugs must be removed mechanically: collect them by hand; put bait in the form of pieces of slate or rags, under which slugs will crawl; you can arrange containers with beer or fruit juice around the site, covering them with an impromptu umbrella that protects the contents from rain and debris. Gastropods thrive on a pleasant smell, and you can reap a decent crop of these pests.

In the photo: How salvia blooms

Insects will have to be fought with insecticides that correspond to each of the pests.

salvia after flowering

Salvia flowering begins in June, and sometimes ends with autumn frosts - each species is different. Some of the salvias are able to bloom twice a year.

For example, wild salvia, if cut off completely after flowering, will bloom again in late summer, especially if it is fed.

But if the salvia has finally faded, carry out the autumn pruning of the perennial salvia and mulch the area, and especially the growing points with garden compost, so that the plant survives the winter calmly. Young salvias need to be additionally covered with spruce branches or dry foliage.

Types and varieties of salvia

According to agrotechnical characteristics and biological characteristics, scientists divide salvia species into three groups. The first includes representatives of the American subtropics, for obvious reasons grown in our climate as annuals. These species prefer moist soil and cannot tolerate even light frosts. The first group includes:

Salvia sparkling (Salvia splendens)

Or salvia brilliant - from 20 to 80 cm high, densely leafy compact bushes, leaves are opposite, entire, ovate, petiolate, dark green above and light green on the lower part of the leaf plate. Large, irregularly shaped flowers with a double perianth are collected in whorls of 2-6 pieces in racemose inflorescences 14-25 cm long. Both the calyx and corolla are most often bright red, but white, purple, and pink are also available. Blooms from June to autumn frosts.

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Variety sparkling white salvia differs from the fiery red in a not so dense inflorescence and in that the calyx looks creamy against the background of a white corolla.

pink salvia has a shorter inflorescence than red salvia, and the corolla and calyx are the same color pink, but the corolla has a velvety texture.

In the photo: Salvia sparkling, or shiny (Salvia splendens)

Violet sparkling salvia is a very catchy variety, since the deep purple color of the flowers is enhanced by their velvety, created by dense pubescence.

The most popular varieties of sparkling salvia: Fiery Star, Red Arrows, Salvator, Sahara.

Salvia bright red (Salvia coccinea)

Height 50-70 cm, stems straight, densely pubescent and branching, leaves petiolate, ovate, finely serrated at the edges, pubescent below, bare above. Loose inflorescences 15-30 cm long consist of whorled flowers with a scarlet-red corolla and a long tube. This salvia blooms from July until frost. Varieties: “Leidy in Red up to 40 cm high with bright red flowers, Sherry Blossom is an early variety of the same height, but with pink flowers.

In the photo: Bright red salvia (Salvia coccinea)

Mealy salvia (Salvia farinacea)

A long-flowering non-capricious plant 60-90 cm tall, looking like a pyramidal bush. Leaves petiolate, oblong-ovate, pubescent only along the veins, entire. Inflorescences on tall peduncles reach a length of 15-20 cm and consist of 5-28 flowers up to 2 cm long. The corolla is usually dark blue, but sometimes white. This species blooms from mid-August to late autumn. Varieties: Anschuld (silver-white flowers), Strata (compact bush with blue flowers), Victoria (luxuriantly flowering variety with dark blue flowers).

The second group is represented by species of Mediterranean origin. They are more cold tolerant and drought tolerant. They grow best on loose soils and respond gratefully to mineral supplements.

In the photo: mealy salvia (Salvia farinacea)

Salvia green (Salvia viridis)

Or salvia motley - in this species, only the horminum variety (var. Horminum) with brightly colored bracts is decorative. This is an annual plant 40-60 cm high with numerous straight branching stems covered with glandular down. The leaves are petiolate, oblong-elliptical, also pubescent. Simple inflorescences 18-30 cm long consist of false whorls with 4-6 flowers with a pink corolla, but the color of the bracts is eye-catching - juicy purple or bright pink. Varieties: White Swan (white salvia with pinkish or purple bracts), Oxford Blue with blue-violet bracts, Pink Sunday with pink bracts.

In the photo: Green salvia, or motley (Salvia viridis)

Whorled Salvia (Salvia verticillata)

Height 35-40 cm with straight or ascending densely pubescent stems, long-petiolate pubescent leaves of an unusual shape and flowers in dense whorls of 5-30 pieces with a lilac-blue corolla. Purple Rain has flowers with a deep purple corolla and purple calyxes.

In the photo: Whorled Salvia (Salvia verticillata)

Salvia dandelion (Salvia taraxacifolia)

It is a herbaceous species with a basal rosette of leaves. The stems are straight, not particularly branching, all parts of the plant emit a pleasant aroma. The leaves are pinnately dissected, irregularly serrate at the edges, glabrous above and pubescent on the underside of the leaf blade. Simple inflorescences up to 28 cm long consist of whorls with several flowers with a pale pink corolla, a greenish-green throat with purple dots.

Salvia has beautiful flowers, leaves and bush shape. She looks noble in the flower bed and in the garden. Consider how and when to plant salvia, how to care for seedlings and combine it in a flower bed with other plants. She is loved for a variety of colors, unpretentiousness, early and long flowering. Small flowers are collected in complex whorled spicate or paniculate inflorescences of red, white, pink, blue. New varieties make this plant more and more popular. Wild salvia (sage) has medicinal properties, contains essential oils and is used in cooking. Sadovaya is a source of aesthetic pleasure.

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seedling care

Most types of decorative salvia, although they are perennial, do not withstand frost and are grown as annual plants with a long period of development: 70-100 days pass from sowing seeds to flowering. When is salvia planted at home? If you can provide additional illumination for young sprouts, sow in the first decade of February. The last crops are done no later than March 1-5.

Seeds do not need pre-soaking or treatment with growth stimulants. Light nutrient soil is poured into a prepared container 5-8 cm high, disinfected with hot water and, without waiting for complete cooling, dry seeds are laid out at a distance of 1 to 3 cm, depending on whether you plan to dive seedlings. Salvia seeds are not very small, it is convenient to put them individually. From above they are sprinkled with soil with a layer of 2 mm, lightly tamped, moistened, covered with a film and put in a warm place (+23 ... 25 ° C). There is usually enough moisture in the soil before the seeds germinate and watering is not necessary, but if the soil is dry, spray it with a spray bottle. When drying already swollen seeds, there will be no sprouts.

Shoots usually appear in 10-15 days, they are placed on a sunny windowsill. During the day, seedlings should be illuminated for at least 13 hours. With a lack of light, the seedlings stretch out, the leaves turn pale. To increase the intensity of natural light, reflective surfaces are placed on the window sill with plants, such as frames with stretched foil.

The main thing when growing seedlings is to get strong roots, so the seedlings dive. If drainage holes are not made in the sowing containers, then they must be made in individual pots to avoid root rot. Salvia is very afraid of moisture stagnation. They start picking when 2-3 true leaves appear on the seedlings, they deepen the seedlings to the cotyledon leaves, this contributes to the formation of new roots.

Some flower growers prefer to continue growing salvia until planting in the ground in boxes or boxes. If salvia does not dive, seedling care consists in providing nutrition, it is necessary to pour the soil as high as possible. Other flower growers carry out this procedure twice: in the phase of 2-3 leaves, they dive into large boxes, and after 3 weeks - into pots.

The necessary conditions

Salvia grows well in any potting mix. You can make soil for it yourself by mixing peat, sand and earth from the forest (1: 1: 1). The plant loves moderately moist soil. The optimum temperature after picking is +15...+18°С, in April it is lowered to +10°С for hardening. When 3-4 true leaves appear, pinching is carried out, which stimulates tillering. Plants are fed if there is any doubt that the bushes have enough nutrition. Home-grown bushes should have small buds. When they appear, seedlings must be fed with any complex flower fertilizer.



It is undesirable if flowers appear on the seedlings on the windowsill, salvia will not be able to save them during transplantation.

The flower you like can be propagated at home vegetatively: take a cutting from a bush, put it in water. After it takes root (after 10-15 days), plant in a pot as a houseplant. In winter, it is necessary to withstand a temperature of +8 ... + 12 ° C, in spring it can be used as a mother liquor. For reproduction by this method, any salvia is suitable, since its natural life form is perennial. A bush grown from a cutting must be pinched.

Landing in the ground

Salvia is planted in a flower bed in May, if, according to weather forecasts, no return frosts are expected in the next 10 days. During this time, the plants will have time to take root, and lowering the temperature will not be dangerous for them. At night, you can cover the plantings with lutrasil. The plant loves the sun, calcareous permeable soil. Of all the species, only salvia sticky can withstand partial shade. It should be noted that on too nutritious soil, the plant forms bushes with large leaves and a minimum number of flowers. This often occurs from an excess of nitrogen in the soil, to which salvia is very sensitive. To restore normal development, 10 g of superphosphate is poured into 2 liters of hot water and the bushes are sprayed in a day.



Transshipment of salvia, planting and care are not difficult. At what distance to plant seedlings, each grower decides for himself: someone prefers separately growing bushes, others strive to get a dense carpet line of flowers. Dense landings are not afraid of the wind. Most often, they maintain a distance of 25-30 cm. A handful of humus and, if necessary, sand are poured into each hole. It is desirable to mulch the planted seedlings. If, after planting, an unexpected drop in night temperature occurs, and the seedlings are frozen, they will have to be cut, as a result, the appearance of flowers will occur a month later.

Further care for salvia does not differ from caring for other flowers and consists of loosening the soil, fertilizing. The plant needs watering in dry weather before the flowers appear. Diseases practically do not affect her. Whiteflies, thrips, aphids can harm. Snails and slugs eat the leaves. The best way to control pests is to use insecticides.

Salvia blooms from June until frost, forms a fruit of 4 nuts. Seeds remain viable for 5 years. If you have a varietal flower (not a hybrid), they can be harvested and sown the following year.



annual plants

As already mentioned, mainly in our climate, the tropical perennial salvia is grown as an annual ornamental plant. Various types of salvia differ in biological characteristics, the description of the most popular of them is given below:

1. 1 In the flowerbeds of parks and gardens, salvia sparkling or shiny is most often found. Bush height 20-80 cm (depending on the variety). Plants with large irregular bright red flowers in the form of a pyramid are known to everyone, although there are varieties with white, pink and purple buds that differ in the size of racemose inflorescences and flowering time. Compared to red salvia, sparkling white has a less dense inflorescence, purple - more dense pubescence, pink - a short flowering period.
2. 2 Salvia Mealy - a plant 60-90 cm high with loose inflorescences 15-20 cm long, predominantly blue-blue in color, located on high shoots. The Anschulz variety has silvery white flowers. Drought tolerant.
3. 3 Salvia red has straight densely pubescent stems, ovate leaves and loose inflorescences up to 30 cm long.



Salvia motley stands out among the numerous species. It is original with bright leaves-bracts, which are painted pink with green veins, giving the plant a decorative effect before the appearance of flowers and the entire growing season. However, this species is not used in cultivation due to the need to use supports, without which the plant lodging.

perennial salvia

According to biological features, salvia is distinguished as annual and perennial. The latter are not afraid of frosts down to -18 ° С. Oak salvia is grown as a perennial plant and is considered the most frost-resistant and unpretentious of all species. The height of its stems reaches 60 cm, inflorescences - up to 40 cm. Depending on the variety, the flowers are pink, purple or lilac-purple bloom from June to mid-September. The most common varieties of oak salvia:

1. 1 Plumosa. Its bright purple flowers are collected in short (20 cm), but very dense inflorescences, a bush up to 60 cm tall is decorative and atypical for this type of flowering.
2. 2 Marcus. The height of the bushes is 20 cm, therefore it is used as a ground cover plant. Blue-violet flowers occupy almost the entire part of the stem.
3. 3 East Frisland. Bush 60 cm high, strongly branching. Its special decorative effect is that dense inflorescences are located at the ends of the branches, and when flowering, the plant is completely covered with purple buds.



The names of the varieties: Pink Glade, Lilac Glade, Lilac Queen - they themselves speak about the color of their flowers. A bush of salvia perennial for better branching and the formation of new shoots must be formed. Pruning is done in autumn. Salvia crosses easily, so different varieties are best grown in different parts of the garden.

How to grow oak salvia? Varieties of perennial sage are propagated in the following ways:

• seeds;
• dividing the bush;
• cuttings;
• air outlets.

In addition to the oak forest, Sylvia meadow, nutmeg, and lush are cold-resistant.



Combined with other plants

Salvia is usually planted in a flower bed after daisies, forget-me-nots and other spring flowers. It is often planted with bulbs: when they fade, the overgrown sage will cover them. For flower beds, plants with a long flowering period are usually chosen, which do not lose their decorative effect for a long time. Salvia is one of them. The formation and thickening of its branches occurs quickly. The classic pairing is brilliant red salvia and petunia, considered by many to be outdated. But try to pick up colors in a new way with a gradual transition from one color to another, for example, from red to pink. The combination of pink salvia with pale blue lobelia looks romantic.

When creating a flower bed, you need to think in advance how the plants will be combined in color and height. Considering that warm colors in combination with cold ones create a harmonious contrast in flower beds, red salvia is often planted with ageratum, cineraria. Red flowers look good next to green spaces. If you plant blue salvia with orange, they will look even brighter. In a small garden, bright salvias are planted in small groups; plants of blue shades in combination with white look more harmonious and easier.

Most often, salvia is placed in the center of the flower bed, framing with lower annuals that cover the lower part of the bushes. Loose inflorescences of some species do not form bright colorful spots, but fit perfectly into any landscape.

Often, salvia is planted in pots and decorated with verandas, gazebos, balconies and other recreational areas.

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Sofia Filatova 02/27/2015 | 13342


Salvia is a fairly unpretentious plant, but it has its own characteristics in care, starting with sowing seeds for seedlings.

Soil preparation

Before sowing salvia seeds, you need to choose the right soil. For these plants, a light, nutritious, permeable, but not moisture-retaining substrate is optimal. Ready soil for salvia is sold in many specialized stores. But you can prepare the soil yourself from peat, leafy soil and coarse sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. All components should be mixed and sifted through two sieve cells of different diameters, obtaining two types of base - large and smaller.

Having prepared a suitable substrate for sowing salvia, it is important to take care of expanded clay. It must be poured onto the bottom of the pot with a layer of 1 cm, then the container should be filled up to half with coarse soil and filled up with fine soil to the sides. To destroy possible pests and bacteria in the substrate, it is necessary to shed the prepared soil with a hot concentrated solution of potassium permanganate. The filled box for seedlings should be left in a warm room for 5-7 days.

Sowing seeds

From the moment of sowing salvia to its flowering, an average of 70-80 days pass. In order for the plant to have time to form before planting in open ground, it is necessary to sow the seeds mid-February to early March.



Before sowing, for the purpose of disinfection, the seeds must be kept in a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate. After disinfection, dry the seed well on a paper or cloth napkin. Dry grains should be mixed with hot sand to avoid thickening during germination. Seeds should be sown in even rows every 3-5 cm. It is not necessary to sprinkle fine seed with soil, but it is better to cover large grains with a layer of substrate or sand, up to 5 mm thick.

A box with sown seeds should be well watered with warm water from a spray bottle. To protect seedlings from drafts, you should constantly maintain high temperature and air humidity: you can cover the container with crops with glass or film and put it in a warm, sunny place.

Seedling care

For quick shoots and growth of salvia, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 21-25 ° C. The soil should always be moist, but at the same time, water should not be allowed to stand. Daylight hours for salvia should be at least 12 hours. If there is not enough natural light, you can illuminate the seedlings with a fluorescent lamp.



Salvia begins to germinate in 10-14 days. Every day it is necessary to slightly open the box for 7-10 minutes to ventilate the greenhouse and harden young plants.

picking

The appearance of the first 2-3 leaves is a signal that it is time to pick. Young pickled salvia should be planted in peat tablets or in separate containers with a diameter of about 7 cm. For this, the same soil is suitable as for sowing.

In order for the root system to develop well, the seedlings should be deepened into the soil to the lower leaves. If, after picking, cover the pots with paper for several days, the root will begin to actively develop. As a result, the plant will quickly get stronger and in 10-14 days will go into active growth.

When the salvia grows the third pair of leaves, you can start pinching. This will allow you to get more lush bushes.

Preparing for landing in open ground

To plant a healthy and beautiful flower in a flower bed, you need to carefully care for it after picking:

• maintain soil moisture;
• feed, starting from the third week after picking;
• provide daylight hours for at least 12 hours;
• harden by airing the room, gradually increasing the time (from 3 to 20 minutes).

As soon as the threat of frost is gone, you can plant salvia in a flower bed. These plants prefer sunny places with nutritious and not too light soil. Watering is not necessary, but during the drought period it is better to water the flower after sunset. With minimal care, salvia will delight in flowering from early June until the first frost.



Good afternoon, dear readers!

If you want to decorate your site with bright and unusually beautiful flowers, salvia is best suited. This flower is grown in flower beds, flower beds, in pots and flowerpots.

The plant is divided into three types: annual, biennial and perennial. For its cultivation, it is necessary to make some efforts and already in June this beautiful plant will delight with flowers that will bloom until the autumn frosts.

Salvia (in Latin - sage) belongs to the family of Lamiaceae (Lamiaceae). The literal translation of the name "salvus" is to be healthy. Since ancient times, it has been known as the "sacred herb" and is valued for its healing properties. This flower has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient Egypt. The homeland of the plant is America and Eurasia. Salvia is the decorative form of this flower, which has common ancestors with sage.

• In Europe today, sage is called salvia. In wild and cultivated form, this plant is found in almost all countries and continents, except Australia.
• The American salvia group is annual and grown in warm climates.
• The Mediterranean group of these plants is more winter-hardy and has a huge variety of varieties.

The third group of this flower includes cold-resistant varieties, which are most often found in the temperate climatic zone of Europe. They grow even in shady places and require little shelter during wintering. Abundant flowering in varieties of this group occurs in the second year of life.

The genus of salvia is so widespread that it covers more than 900 varieties of this plant. For ornamental cultivation, salvia brilliant and salvia sparkling are most often used.

Salvia brilliant (Salvia splendens)

The height of the plant reaches 25-80 centimeters, and when growing a perennial plant, it reaches 120 centimeters and forms a half-bush or bush. In temperate and cool climates, plants grow one or two years. There are varieties of red, white, lilac, pink and purple shades.

The leaves are pinnately dissected or entire, arranged oppositely on the cuttings, the top of the plate is dark green, the bottom is whitish. The flowers are small, formed at the end of the pedicel into complex panicles or whorled spike-shaped inflorescences, the length of the inflorescences ranges from 14 to 25 centimeters.

The fruit forms 4 nuts. Seeds ripen a month after the start of flowering. Seeds are collected from the flower, after it falls in a month and a half. Germination of planting material is maintained for 5 years.

When growing biennial varieties, seeds are sown in autumn and covered for the winter until spring.

Many gardeners take care of getting seedlings of annual salvia even in winter and start sowing seeds at home.


Photo of salvia in a flower bed - it will decorate any flower garden

This flower allows you to decorate any flower bed and blooms throughout the warm months, until the first frost. The plant does not lose its shape, does not grow and allows you to create the perfect composition. Salvia has a variety of colors and allows you to form all kinds of combinations from different varieties of this plant and when combined with other plants.

Salvia varieties have different bush heights and allow you to create multi-level flower beds with multi-colored panicles of flowers.

Air pollution does not affect the beauty of salvia and allows you to grow it even in megacities. Many flower beds in public places are full of these beautiful flowers.

When to sow seedlings


small shoots of salvia

Salvia blooms in the fourth month after sowing. The best time to sow this annual crop is February, early March. When growing a two-year-old salvia, seeds are sown in the fall, before the first frost.

The perennial species of the plant is grown from seedlings and in the first year of life does not have any special differences in care.

Salvia seeds can be purchased at a specialized store or collected from plants with your own hands.


Salvia sparkling

Seed preparation

Before sowing, planting material must be treated with a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate. Then the seeds are washed under running water and laid out on a paper or cloth napkin until completely dry. Shop seeds for ease of planting can be formed into granules and do not require pre-treatment.

The nutrient coat protects the seeds from damage and simplifies this process when planting. But when using granules, we must not forget that planting in this case should take place a little earlier, since seed germination occurs with a slight delay.

Sowing

Light, air- and moisture-permeable, nutritious soil is suitable for growing salvia. You can buy ready-made soil mixture in a specialized store or make it at home. The land is prepared a week before sowing.

The soil mixture is made up of:

• sod land (2 parts)
• coarse sand (1 part)
• peat (2 parts)

If necessary, lime is added to the soil. The mixture is stirred and sieved through a fine and coarse sieve.

The bottom of the box is filled with 1 centimeter of expanded clay, broken brick or vermiculite drainage. Large soil mixture is poured from top to half, finer screenings are poured from above.

1. For disinfection, the soil is spilled with a hot solution of potassium permanganate.
2. The seedling box is installed in the pallet. The soil is being levelled. There should be at least 2 centimeters to the top of the box.
3. Seeds are mixed with calcined sand. The distance between rows should be 3-5 centimeters.
4. If the seeds are in granules, they need to be distributed with tweezers over the area according to the scheme 3 by 3 centimeters.
5. Seeds in granules are buried in the ground by 0.2 centimeters.
6. For a better fit of the seeds to the ground, spraying with water from a spray bottle is carried out from above.
7. To preserve moisture, the box is covered with a transparent film.

seedling care

Salvia seedlings appear in one and a half to two weeks.

When planting seeds in granules, two to three weeks. The earth must not dry out.

Watering is done through a pallet or with a spray gun. Through the drainage holes, moisture enters the plants and saturates the soil with moisture. Excess water is drained.

Excess moisture harms plants and leads to root rot. If this happens, the film is removed from the box, and the earth is sprinkled with sand or ash.

So that the sprouts do not stretch, the seedlings are exposed to a bright place. Equipped with additional lighting with a fluorescent lamp.

The duration of daylight for seedlings of salvia should be about 12 hours a day.

Night temperature should not exceed 20 degrees, daytime - 25 degrees. As the seedlings grow, earth is sprinkled around the sprouts. In this case, the fall of the sprouts must be avoided. When watering, moisture should not touch the foliage.

Reduced temperature and additional lighting allow you to grow strong and healthy plants. To harden seedlings, the film is removed for 10 minutes, then for 15 and until the shelter is completely removed.

You can't take the cover off right away.

Dive


Seedlings of salvia in separate cups develop better and tolerate transplantation more easily.

When 2-4 true leaves appear, salvia picks are made. The land should be nutritious and loose, you can use the same soil as for sowing.

Seedlings are deepened by cotyledon leaves. The first pick can be made in a common container with a gap between plants of 5 centimeters. After planting for the first couple of days, the plants are covered with a film. A month later, the plants are planted in separate pots or cups with a diameter of 10-12 centimeters.

Seedlings can be transplanted without intermediate transplanting, immediately into separate cups, but you need to take into account the volume, since the root system will grow as the plants grow and it can become crowded.

Two weeks after transplanting, the plants will actively grow. If the seedlings are stunted, three weeks after picking, fertilizing is carried out with a weak solution of mineral fertilizers for flowers.

To induce bushiness in salvia, the top of the plant is pinched after 3-4 pairs of leaves have formed. At the same time, axillary shoots begin to develop and allow you to quickly form a lush bush.

For additional hardening, airing is performed. Airing starts from 2 minutes and eventually stretches up to 20 minutes.

At the end of April, before transplanting plants into the ground, the temperature drops to 10 degrees at night.

Landing in open ground




Landing in the ground is carried out after the end of spring frosts (May - early June). For planting salvia in open ground, a suitable place is chosen for a flower bed, rabatka.

The earth should be fertile, moisture-intensive, loose, light, well clarified. Heavy soil is fertilized with humus. The place must be protected from the wind. For abundant flowering, instant phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are introduced into the soil.

Depending on the growth of plants and the tendency to branching of the variety, the distribution of holes is made. Approximate distance 20-30 centimeters. Perennial plants are planted with a large interval.

100 grams of ash, 1 kilogram of rotted humus, 30 grams of superphosphate are added to the planting pits. The bush gently rolls into the ground and deepens a little.

Watering is done with warm water. Plants are covered from sunlight for 2-3 days. If the weather is cloudy, shelter can not be used.

summer care

Summer care consists in watering, loosening row spacings, weeding and fertilizing plants with mineral fertilizers.

When the soil dries up, the plants are watered. Plants need to be watered in the evening. Plants do not require a lot of moisture.

Salvia blooms three to four months after germination (in June) and lasts until late autumn. Top dressing with complex fertilizers is carried out during the budding of flowers.

Pests and diseases




Fungal diseases do not harm salvia. The main problem for the plant is insects. Whiteflies, aphids, thrips, spider mites, slugs and snails harm the decorative appearance of plants and can lead to their death.

whiteflies when planting closely with vegetables, they move to flowers. These small white butterflies infect the leaves and form a white coating on them, they suck the juice from the plants. This insect very quickly covers a large area of ​​plants. In the absence of chemical or biological protection, they lead to the death of flowers.

When aphids, you need to immediately take protective measures, this insect multiplies very quickly and in a short time can destroy a large area of ​​salvia plantings.

thrips almost impossible to see, as they are very small. When this insect appears, the leaves curl and dry. Insecticides are used to control thrips.

With the defeat of salvia spider mite diseased plants are removed and burned.

Slugs and snails they eat tender salvia leaves and special traps are used to fight them. Slate and bark under the plants help to get rid of these pests. With a small lesion, slugs and snails can be removed by hand.

The best protection against pests is prevention, which is carried out periodically, throughout the entire growth of the plant.

Growing and caring for salvia: video

What to do after flowering

One-year-old and two-year-old salvia do not require special care after flowering. Some varieties, after pruning flowers, may bloom again. The introduction of top dressing allows you to quickly form new flower stalks.

When growing perennial salvia, the plant requires formative pruning. Without pruning, young shoots stretch out and form empty spaces.

After flowering, all flowers must be removed, and before wintering and at the beginning of the growing season, a haircut is made. Lignified shoots are removed, leaving a few centimeters with young greens and buds.

After autumn pruning, the site is mulched with compost, foliage, dry fine grass. Young perennial salvia is covered with dry foliage, spruce branches.

During cold winters, the rhizome can be dug up and placed in a box and placed in the cellar until spring.

Useful properties of salvia (sage)


Salvia oakwood (Sage) Caradonna

Salvia (sage) is considered a home doctor in the garden.

It contains female natural phytohormones, tinctures from this plant are used for frigidity and allow you to rejuvenate the body.

The juice of plants allows you to strengthen the body and helps to get pregnant and bear a child. Salvia tea is used in menopause and helps to calm down.

1. Dry salvia leaves are used in the fight against diseases such as gastritis, tonsillitis, flux, bronchitis, inflammation of the gums, kidney disease.
2. Leaf tincture relieves inflammation of the bronchi.
3. Tea is used as a gargle for sore throats, gum disease and gum disease.
4. Sage helps with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and in the fight against fungal infections.
5. A tincture from the plant helps to stop bleeding, relieve toothache, and has astringent properties.
6. When using a decoction of salvia when added to a bath, psoriasis can be alleviated.
7. When bathing babies, salvia can soothe the skin.
8. Infusion of leaves normalizes brain function.

Leaves should be harvested in spring before flowering or in autumn. Some varieties have a very pleasant aroma and when using this plant for medicinal purposes, one should not forget about dosages.

In addition to benefits, this plant can be harmful, for example, when used by pregnant women. An overdose threatens with poisoning. Some varieties have a hallucinogenic effect.

In case of allergic reactions, it is better to avoid using this plant, as it can cause swelling and suffocation. Epileptics and children under 3 years of age are strictly prohibited from using salvia.

With a few precautions and dosages, you can improve your health and strengthen your body without the use of chemicals.

Not all varieties of salvia act equally positively, and one should not forget this when choosing a plant for medicinal purposes.

The decorative look of salvia does not have strong medicinal properties and only allows you to enjoy their beautiful flowers.