Salvia splendens seeds SCARLET SAGE

LATIN NAME: Salvia splendens

COMMON NAME: Scarlet Sage, Tropical Sage, Red Salvia

The scarlet sage is one of the brightest of all garden flowers, and its spikes of vivid scarlet bloom have been a beloved sight of the summer border for a very long time. It grows as a tender, herbaceous perennial, usually grown as an annual, reaching up to a metre and a half in its wild form, with oval, dark green leaves and, through the summer and into autumn, showy, upright spikes of many tubular, two-lipped flowers in brilliant scarlet, held in dark calyces, so vivid that they seem to glow. It is native to Brazil, growing at 2,000 to 3,000 metres elevation where it is warm year-round and humid, and it is grown around the world as one of the most popular of the bedding annuals.

The scarlet sage belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae, and it is a tender herbaceous perennial plant native to Brazil, growing at 2,000 to 3,000 metres elevation where it is warm year-round and with high humidity. The wild form reaches a metre and a half, while the garden forms are usually shorter, and it is grown for its vivid scarlet spikes of flower.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The scarlet sage has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and botanical research. It has been studied in horticulture, since it is one of the most popular of the bedding annuals, prized for its vivid scarlet spikes of bloom and its long season of colour, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its breeding and its many garden varieties, while the development of the compact, free-flowering garden forms from the tall wild plant has been of interest in the study of plant breeding. The plant has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the mint family and of the large and important genus Salvia, and researchers have examined its classification and its relationships, while the genus is of great interest for its diversity and its many ornamental and medicinal species. The species has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of the high, humid mountains of Brazil. For a plant of such vivid bloom, the scarlet sage has a steady and growing record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the scarlet sage is a generous plant of the summer garden. Its vivid scarlet flowers feed hummingbirds and other pollinators, and its leafy growth gives cover, while it brings a glowing colour to the border through a long season.

Its economic value is real. It is one of the most popular of the bedding annuals, grown in gardens, in window boxes and in public plantings around the world, prized for its vivid colour, while its many garden varieties are raised by the nursery trade in vast numbers. For a grower, the scarlet sage is an easy and dependable annual, and for a gardener it brings spikes of glowing scarlet through the summer. The seeds are easy — sow them in a pot of moist compost in spring, keep them in a warm, bright spot and water them gently, and they’ll sprout within a couple of weeks, growing on into vivid, scarlet-flowered plants.

Tall spikes of tubular flowers in vibrant shades of red, purple, white, orange and striking bi-colors mix for a stunning display in the garden. This tall-stemmed variety begins blooming in midsummer and continues right up until the first frost. Mature height is 18-24 inches.

Uses: Ideal for mass planting, borders, and large containers. Combines well in container plantings with Marigolds (Tagetes patula or T. erecta), Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia), and other Salvias such as ‘Blue Bedder’ (Salvia farinacea).