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One of the great plant groupings is salvia. Culinary, tender and perennial – all are wonderful. But, perhaps, the best for season-long beauty and color are perennial salvia.
Perennial salvia are an early bloomer in the garden. They produce flower spikes from spring to frost, especially if deadheaded. Drought tolerant and disease free, they are the ideal low-maintenance plant, and, unlike annual salvia like Victoria, they come back year after year. All of them attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and all are low-maintenance flowers with fragrant leaves that will rebloom into the fall if deadheaded. A great group!
Following are some with which you are probably familiar and some less commonly seen.
The best known perennial salvia is Salvia nemerosa, or "May Night," which was named the perennial plant of the year in 1997. It is a great plant with excellent heat tolerance, cold hardiness, drought tolerance and vigor. It is sometimes labeled Salvia sylvestris.
It grows 1-and-a-half to 2 feet with a spread of 1 to 1-and-a-half feet. If you don't deadhead, the dried flowers are particularly lovely.
Another great, older plant is the "Rose Queen." With rose pink flowers, it's a beauty. It grows 1 to 1-and-a-half feet tall and is a particularly good mixer with peonies and roses because of its softer color.
There is a new cultivar, called "New Sensation Rose" with even more blooming ability. You will probably see this newer plant in your garden center.
For lovers of white flowers, particularly those looking for a good mixer, Salvia pratensis, or "Swan Lake," is a good choice.
It grows 1-and-a-half to 2 feet with a spread of 1 to 1-and-a-half feet. It combines nicely with roses, peonies and lilies because its soft color blends particularly well.
The last plant is Salvia verticillata. This comes in purple, and in white as the cultivar, and is also called "White Rain." It is a little different from other salvia plants, in that it has a uniformly rounded and spreading habit. It grows to about 20 inches tall and 36 inches wide.
These great plants contribute color and form for many months without requiring fussing, constant watering or any particular maintenance. Try adding them as individual plants, putting them in small groups or adding them to your borders to compliment larger plants. You'll find that they are keepers.
• Donna Mack is a University of Illinois Extension master gardener for Kane County. The “Learning to Grow” column runs weekly during warmer months. Call the extension office at 630-584-6166 for more information.