A no-nonsense guide to planting salvias

Salvias feature an abundance of small tubular flowers in warm colours and are a beautiful addition to any garden. We'll teach you how to plant, grow, and maintain these stunning plants.

• Reliable garden salvias (Salvia splendens), sometimes called St. John's Fire or scarlet sage, grow best in full sun but can adapt to a half day of shade. They're easy to grow in both containers and beds.
• Because of their naturally neat shape, salvias make a handsome border for a driveway or walkway, and they're ideal for growing near buildings that cast shade for part of the day.
• Red-flowered salvias mix beautifully with white petunias, or you can pair them with blue ageratum. For a festive look, mix purple- or salmon-flowered salvias with marigolds and cockscomb. Salvias also make fine upright flowers for container bouquets composed of several different annuals.

• Red has long been a popular colour in annual salvias. 'Flare' produces scarlet 45-centimetre-tall (18-inch-tall) spikes on top of handsome green foliage through the hottest summer weather. You'll probably find several other choices in red when shopping for bedding plants in the spring.
• For a broader colour range, try the Hotline hybrids, which feature purple-flowered 'Blue Streak' as well as burgundy, salmon, scarlet, and bright white flowers.

• You can start salvia seeds indoors eight weeks before your last frost. However, potted salvia seedlings are very sensitive to the accumulation of minerals often found in tap water, so it's often easier to buy them as bedding plants.
• Look for young plants that have not yet begun to bloom. Young salvias grow and flower better than plants forced to grow too long in cramped nursery containers.
• It's safe to plant salvias in the garden after the danger of frost has passed. When planting, mix organic fertilizer (such as composted manure or a controlled-release fertilizer) into the soil before setting out plants.
• Set seedlings 30 centimetres (one foot) apart, and mulch between plants with a five-centimetre-thick (two-inch) layer of moisture-retaining shredded bark compost or other organic material.
• Water as needed to keep the soil slightly moist at all times and snip off fading flower spikes to encourage the production of new ones.
• After each grooming, fertilize plants with an all-purpose liquid plant food at half strength to ensure summer-long performance.
• While salvias are relatively care-free, they can be chewed on by iridescent daytime-feeding Japanese beetles. Also, small sap-sucking whiteflies or red spider mites can cause leaves to appear yellowish and limp. Pick off and dispose of Japanese beetles early in the morning when they're sluggish. Spraying the undersides of leaves with water will dislodge whiteflies and red spider mites, which prefer feeding in dry conditions. You can also control these pests with insecticidal soap.    

Whatever variety and colour you choose, treat your salvias with care. Use this guide to learn the best practices for planting salvias and keeping them healthy and free of pests. Then, just enjoy the beauty they add to your garden.