Salvias
Salvia aka Sage
That so familiar smell of sage throws most people right into an imaginary farmers market or reminds one of the most popular California “hippie" beach cities.
Sage flowers for a long time and along with the beautiful variety of colors comes that significant fresh fragrance that turns any front or backyard into a fairy tale scenery.
Salvia is part of the mint family and a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies (they love salvia’s tubular flowers).
So how hard is it to plant and grow these plants? Good news for you, growing and maintaining saliva in your front or backyard is a very easy process, if you just take a few things in consideration:
Plant salvia after all chances of frost and low dropping temperatures past and spring is in full bloom
Salvia prefers full sun and well-drained soil, Sage will also grow well in part shade
Loosen the soil to 12’ depth, make sure to remove any large stones or roots.
Mix in a 3” layer of compost to provide nutrients (You can buy already prepared compost or make this a fun project with your children by keeping any old fruits and vegetables and let them decompose in layers of dried materials and green manure)
Now the actual planting process can begin:
Make sure that the hole you are digging is twice the diameter of the container the plant is in
Space plants 1 to 3 feet apart of each other after you take them out of its container
Now just fill in the gaps carefully and push down the soil to a firm even ground
Add a layer of mulch around your plant to retain moisture and also to control those nasty little weeds that like to invade
Keep the soil moist during the growing season and make sure to remove faded flowers
Spring is the time to remove any old stems since the new grows begins
Water your plants thoroughly and voila your new beautiful addition to your home can keep growing and attracting those cute hummingbird and butterflies.
