Protected beneath the previous year’s growth. However, when we do have a colder winter the difference becomes clear as this group does remain largely evergreen and you can see a distinctive ‘crown’ of new shoots forming at the base of the plant in autumn to early winter. Personally, I find it hard to tell the difference in growth habit between these and the previous deciduous herbaceous Salvias as they tend to all behave the same here in warm London. Salvia lyrata, Salvia pratensis and the very popular in the UK, Salvia nemerosa fall into this group. 2) Herbaceous – evergreen rosette forming Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’ starting to grow in our garden. In some years if the stems are still alive, I cut them to about 30 – 40cm above ground level and let the shoots higher up grow, keeping them away from the slimy nibbling beasties. The finished article with new stems growing from the soil, which need protecting from slugs and snails but grow away from them quickly in warm spring weather. In this example above new shoots are growing from the base so I can cut the old stems away completely. Leave the stems until spring is firmly here and fresh new growth can be seen, then cut the stems down to their lowest shooting node. In mild winters here in Clapham, London they can remain alive and even flower all winter. But to take the popular ‘Amistad’ as an example, I leave the main stems through winter which in cold winters will die completely. In the UK, many of this group die back because they aren’t particularly hardy and are conservatory plants. The herbaceous salvias are those that tend to die back to the ground in winter and include the popular Salvia ‘Amistad’, the new closely related cultivar ‘Amante’ and species Salvia azurea, Salvia elegans (pineapple sage), Salvia engelmanii and Salvia guaranatica to name a small number. Not all salvias are the same however and they are split into three main groups: 1) Herbaceous – deciduous Salvia ‘Amistad’ in our garden, one of many cuttings I’ve taken from the original plant. In the UK this must be done in spring between April and May depending on where you are in the country (south earlier, north later), leaving the old stems on through winter to protect the plant and prevent fungal infections on cut stems. Generally easy to look after, though often on the tender or near-tender side, the only real task for the gardener is to prune them each year. The scent of Salvia microphylla when brushed is one of my favourites in the garden. It’s the scent that truly gives them away however, not that they smell minty, just that they’re so fragrant. Salvias are part of the mint family, the Lamiaceae and you can see they’re related both in the look of the leaves and also the shape of the flowers. A group of plants I grow a lot in my own garden and in my clients’ garden designs is the perennial Salvias.
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