Salvias - Expert Tips on How to Grow These Long-Lasting Garden Flowers

Salvias add flower colour to your garden throughout summer and autumn, often flowering for months at a time. Top salvia expert William Dyson of @GreatCompGardenPlatt and Dyson's Nurseries explains how to choose, grow and prune these beautiful flowers.
00:00 Welcome
00:15 Dyson's Nurseries: www.dysonsalvias.com/
Great Comp Garden: www.greatcompgarden.co.uk/
00:52 Why you should grow salvias
01:25 Where can you grow salvias?
02:06 What plants go well with salvias?
03:10 Can you grow salvias with roses?
03:50 Growing salvias with fruit trees
04:27 Can you grow salvias in pots?
05:23 Why isn't my salvia flowering?
05:36 Do you need to fertilise salvias?
05:53 What pests or diseases do salvias get?
05:56 Capsid bug on salvias
07:01 When to plant salvias
07:32 How to prune salvias (also how to deadhead salvias)
09:20 Do you need to water salvias?
09:40 What do you do with salvias in winter?
10:53 Should I mulch salvias and if so, what with?
11:45 Are salvias good for wildlife?
12:43 Can salvias be moved?
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[@slomo1716]

WOW!!! William Dyson is indeed and EXPERT!! One of the best interviews I've ever heard about any plants, including Salvia! I have a blue salvia, which comes back every year and has lovely blue flowers. It also has an aroma, a medicinal smell. The bees love it, after the blooms are spent I cut back in hope of another flush, but only a few new flowers emerge. I cut back to the ground when it goes brown. Thank you Alexandra for a wonderful Saliva video!!!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you. Medicinal is a good word for the smell, I'm not sure I like it, but the plants are such good flowerers.

[@irairod5160]

Oh, I loved his candid, "To be honest, I've never tried to move them. If I realize I've planted them in the wrong place, I dig them up and chuck them." Spoken like a real gardener. (EDITED to add: Like you say, Alexandra, we, gardeners, learn by "trowel and error".)

[@57merrill]

It's refreshing to hear that-gardening and the world of plants is life long learning.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I thought that was lovely, too!

[@juliabinford6500]

A video worth watching several times, because it’s so packed with information. Thank you!

[@57merrill]

She does have great videos

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, both!

[@liberte1334]

I've only just discovered the Salvia! I bought one randomly mid summer this year, in full bloom. Plonked it in to my dreadfully chalk garden and it flowered right through the heatwave, didn't affect it at all and it is still in flower right now mid November! I'm going to invest in these next year for sure.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'm going to get more too.

[@privateperson5769]

When I was a newbie gardener few years back I bought a $1 plant - didn't know what it was - turned out to be an annual salvia - flowered for like 8 months ! Perfect for hot dry places in my garden too. Bees love em, don't need any fuss and bother. I haven't got a perennial one just yet, but one day,

[@lynnrumsey3296]

I haven’t known much about Salvias in the past but I notice them a lot in gardens now. Great information. Thank you.

[@kerryjean2223]

Excellent video. I had a love affair with Salvias 2 years ago and so I have quite a few different ones. I find I hate to waste the trimmings or accidental broken pieces so so matter what time of the year here in Adelaide South Australia I just turn them into either shorter cuttings or sometimes I leave them as rather large cuttings, poke a piece of bamboo the length of the part of the cutting I have removed the lower leaves and just stick them in the ground. More often than not they take and because my garden is small and quite full I find I have plants to give to family, friends and neighbours x 🌼🌼🌼🙏😇🇦🇺🌼🌼🌼🕊️

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you. Good tip with the salvias.

[@hannahadlergontard7057]

I discovered salvias this year and have already become a fan! I have several varieties

[@scottanthony6269]

I grow salvias with my roses and they are growing great and look beautiful together

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'm planning on trying it now.

[@danielphillips4510]

I planted a new bed in spring this year including a Salvia 'Hot Lips'. We had this horrible drought in the UK (I'm on the South coast) and the Salvia outperformed everything else in the bed by miles, completely unperturbed by the weather. We took to calling it the bee bush because it didn't seem to matter when we looked, there was always at least one bee visiting. In late summer we got the hummingbird hawk moths mentioned in this video and they are truly amazing to watch and I'm sure they wouldn't have been in the garden without the Salvia. Three more from the 'Lips' family have been planted in the 'wild' end of the garden in semi shade. I hope they'll are happy there. Note - heavy clay soil here and Salvia didn't seem to mind at all.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's good to hear, and I love hummingbird hawk moths. I had one in the garden last year, not sure if it came back this year.

[@subarufreakdd]

indeed. my best friend has clay soil. his salvia amistad is over 2 metres tall. going higher than the fence

[@EdinaCloud]

Love Salvias. Mr Dyson is an excellent grower. I have every type of salvia; shrubby ones, tender perennials, including ones with tangerine scented leaves and the fabulous tall and elegant Amistads. I have light sandy soil which they do well in. Very good value for money too with colour all through summer until Autumn every year. If you live near Kent, Mr Dyson’s gardens are delightful.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It is!

[@nicholasryan5401]

I have a small front Garden and have salvia amistad and salvia love and wishes growing in pots. I keep them in a glasshouse in winter and bring them out in early April and feed them with tomato feed up until the end of august.

[@tmy1065]

Alexandra, I always get useful advice from your videos. I pruned my salvias in the spring correctly, but it’s good to know I can cut them back mid summer for another flush of blooms. Seeing flowers only on the tips has been bothering me for months! Salvias are one of my favorite perennials - they bloom prolifically, require little maintenance and very important for my area, the rabbits leave them alone.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It's good to hear that, thank you.

[@sidilicious11]

I have discovered and fallen in love with salvias and hyssops in the last few years.

[@kerryjean2223]

I see I've already communicated on this video in the past. I just listened to it again and still learnt from it. Very interesting and informative. Thank you for asking great questions and getting honest answers. Your guests are amazing x 🧡💛🧡🙏😇🇦🇺🧡💛🧡🌼🕊️

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@fionaproctor6330]

Btw. I’m in southern Ontario Canada zone 6b and our winters can be ferocious dipping to -20c at times. I haven’t dug mine up and they’re fine come spring.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds good. Perhaps they're well established. It's interesting how many exceptions there can be to plant hardiness recommendations.

[@Helen-mh8mq]

I have 5 white salvias and one purple one.I love them!All the pollinators are all over them.I am in New Jersey and they are still flowering.After their first flowering is done I do cut them back and in a few weeks they are in full bloom again.I do prune the spent flowers every 3 weeks or so.During the drought this summer I gave them each a gallon of water once a week they don't necessarily need it but I do see them perk up when they get it.This is also the first time I just fed them once at the beginning of the season and they did great.Thanks for the Salvia Show!!!😊

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@spartahill]

I enjoy listening to and learning from people with deep knowledge of their trade, and Mr. Dyson certainly fits the bill. Thanks for the time and effort to bring valuable content to growers around the globe. Best, San Antonio, TX grower

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@mauracurran3270]

What a practical man,super interview,so informative.Well done again Alexandria.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anmnou]

Amazing!! This channel really is like taking a course in horticulture!! Thank you so much!! (from the USA)

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@EwkaDworczak]

Thank you so much. Amusing video, very interesting and packed with useful information. All the Best to all Salvia groves 😊

[@bethlynch1909]

Salvias are one of my favorite plants. The coccinea variety I grow is a self-seeder without being obnoxious. It's not hardy in my area so I'm happy to see the new plants every year. I have found the seedlings transplant easily.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I love self seeders.

[@donaldauguston9740]

This was SOOOOOOOO helpful. Thank you both for taking the time to put this together and post it for all of us to see. Take care and have a good week. DA

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@eliev7844]

Such a pleasure to hear a knowledgeable person talk about their subject.

[@pinkpoodle7100]

Amazing garden! I’ll be purchasing lots of salvia this spring. Thank you Alexandra and William!

[@johnjanine5181]

Thank you for what you do! You have a gift! Great interview and learned a lot. I love salvia! Seems they do better each year.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@rebeccawalsh4304]

Thank you from Melbourne, Australia ☺️Salvias grow well in our climate & are great for attracting small wrens & finches. There was lots of great information in this video (as usual), & an especial thanks for taking the time to write the varieties on the screen so we know which is which!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@upnorth21]

Thank you for always taking us to interesting gardens and experts on plants. I always learn a lot!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Our pleasure!

[@macclift9956]

Lovely - always interesting!

[@beckyscheller9358]

Lots of good information. Thanks for showing

[@christopherhills1609]

Really enjoyable video

[@suetulloch2138]

Great information thanks Alexandra

[@angellas.1314]

I’d love, if you haven’t already, a video about deer “resistant” plants! Beautiful and useful video, thank you!

[@flowerfairy1950]

I have a Swamp Wallaby who thinks my garden is its personal salad bowl 🦘 the only thing 'Swampy' doesn't touch (thankfully) is lavender.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! I am thinking about it, although most old gardening hands say that if desperate, deer and rabbits will eat anything, and there's nothing totally deer-resistant. Plant expert Rosy Hardy says that high fences are the only way.

[@susanharris7792]

Salvias are deer resistant. Deer eat everything in my garden except Salvia verbena wall flowers cat nint dahlias azaleas and rhodendrums

[@angellas.1314]

@@susanharris7792 Thank you! Any other colorful flowering plants?

[@shirleymartin548]

THANK YOU

[@Tambisme]

Thanks for this information

[@CeciliaPMiniatures]

I did dig up one of my salvias microphylla and moved it to another place last autumn, it didn't suffer at all. Like nothing happened really. I pruned it hard before moving it though, which I think might have helped. Also the cuttings! Last year my dog broke a branch of my Salvia Phyllis Fancy, so I made 5 little cuttings out of it and now I have five new pants blooming right now (it's an autumn flowering hybrid). Such great plants. Thanks for this video!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's lovely to hear - you clearly did the right thing by pruning it hard before moving to reduce the root to shoot ratio (I'm now thinking I should have done that with a tree we moved.)

[@CeciliaPMiniatures]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden yes, exactly. I did the same with a quite massive Lonicera fragrantissima, I knew I was bound to damage the root ball a good deal, so I reduced all the branches to one third, possibly even more. And it didn't suffer at all, i think I actually rejuvenate it!

[@katherinebevan9573]

Great episode, thank you!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@barbkenas5663]

Interesting, great advice.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AJsGreenThumbLLC]

Such crucial information on salvias Alexandra! I need to try some of the annual varieties, they are so beautiful. I tend to grow the perennials and hardy sages.

[@marta-fu9dw]

I love your videos! I'm a landscape artist in the making and your content it's helping me a lot! Thank you very much 🤍🌷

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! That's an unexpected reason for viewing my videos, but I'm delighted.

[@adilagram]

I needed this video in my life. Thanku

[@debjohnson5876]

Thank you. Great info.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@larsfinlay7325]

salvia concolor is a personal favorite, hummingbirds love it. y'all brits need to visit central and south America to see the hummingbirds sipping from salvias in cloud forests. it's something.

[@regulschuf]

I love the detailed info on salvia plants!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@dwoodbury]

Wonderfully helpful video, as always. Thank you!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RoseMary-vs3io]

This was so useful, loved it, thank you👍👍

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

So glad!

[@flowerpixel]

One of my favorite flowers! I've seen bees and hummingbirds on mine. I didn't realize bees drilled holes

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It's sweet, isn't it?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Excellent information, thank you

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! Hope you're well.

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

This was so thorough and helpful! ☺️

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@zonabrown9241]

Luv these grow them all the time

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

Loved the video. My favorite plant😊

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@debwatts2035]

A fantastic complete guide to Salvias. Best I’ve seen. Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful! thank you.

[@sarahhayhurst9944]

Really appreciate this video. I don't know much about Sylvia's other than they're beautiful, so thank you for this post. ❤

[@hollyjones9264]

Salvia information…. Thank you… zone 9a… absolutely love salvias…

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Me too!

[@sarahmarti141]

Great info. We grow a ton here in LA.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I should think your climate is brilliant for them. Thank you!

[@carolg5340]

Excellent interview Alexandria, William gave very concise information, very useful. Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tanarehbein7768]

Really beautiful filming. I had no idea all different verities.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@francesmclaren7881]

Brilliant! I’m loving growing these beauties! They are so forgiving and colourful and suit the NZ climate well.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@New-Hat-Gardening]

Salvia do so good here in Central Texas ❤

[@Laura-rx9mp]

Thank you Alexandra. Very timely ,as I will again try the salvia in a pot next to my beautiful rose to prevent the black spot. Cheers

[@claudiaceleste777]

Fantastic video Alexandra! We’re in Spring here in Australia and I have probably a dozen salvias in my garden, absolutely love them ❤

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, I'm certainly planning on getting more salvias.

[@jcking6785]

Thank you for spotlighting these lovely perennials. Makes me want to add multitudes of them to my garden! 💚 (Love your necklace)!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@heatherstephens9295]

Wow what an amazing garden ❤❤ I really love working around salvias, the fragrance is beautiful 🤩

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It's beautiful, I thought.

[@MargaretUK]

I know what I will be growing in a pot next year now! Thanks Alexandra 👍

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@phyllisgipson1949]

Thank you Alexandria . I'm in NW FLA zone 8b and consider myself a hobby gardener . Love all salvias and especially big blue ones . I live on 2.5 acres of very sandy and partially shaded soil . I find your videos very appealing .

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@maymon207]

Thanks for the video. I learnt not only about salvia but also noted about root-to-plant ratio when digging plant.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I thought that was interesting, too!

[@wjs5773]

What an understated but obvious expert he his. Thank you for this excellent interview.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@merrillmcnicholas3385]

Another great video! As Arai Rod said above it’s refreshing to hear some honesty about growing and gardening.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@carolyncampbell6149]

Another great video which has encouraged me to try growing salvias again - now I’ve got the advice of an expert. Thankyou Alexandra.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@cherylquinn5912]

I’m just starting to include salvias in my garden. This interview was timely and so very helpful, all the necessary info to keep them happy.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad to hear it!

[@suebladon3593]

Excellent video, great tips. I've bought my first ever salvias this year and they're giving a great display. I shall be buying more next year, try different ones for different locations. Thank you 😊

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'll be buying more too. thank you.

[@kevinjamesparr552]

Perhaps the best interview ever.Most helpful and really interesting man .Thank you having fun bricking gate columns each side of Postern gate .Hoping for rains to go off and days warmer now October a few good days left

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, that's lovely to hear. Hope the columns go well.

[@oceansoul3694]

This is absolutely beautiful and Mr. Dyson is a national treasure! I've grown salvia for decades and I've learned so much this morning. Thank You~

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, he is really so knowledgeable.

[@subarufreakdd]

I love salvias. I have around 80 different ones now in the garden. I am still on the hunt for more

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Good afternoon Alexandra, Salvias are such beautiful trumpet flowers, some how I think penstemon should be planted close-by!! I prefer the darker shades of salvias, I have two blues, one dark blue with an almost black looking stem and another just because the blue is so pretty. I love the purple and dark red we saw on the video. i think I have read somewhere you can divide salvias as well, as they can form clumps if taken care I am sure you can divide. I think I will try and see if the nursery has some of the abovementioned colours in stock. A good idea of planting under or close to fruit trees, carpenter bees and hover flies are great insects to have in the flowerbed. Thank you for the lovely and interesting chat, time well spent to listen. Love your necklace, very smart indeed. My dahlias which did not get too much late winter rain have sprouted in the tubs, now I am in two minds, shall I leave them or plant. I'll leave I think and see how they do, if not great I can always removed them gently and plant out. Do take care, be alert, many blessings and kind regards. Oh have a lovely week end. It is extremely hot, not rain, maybe next week for S. Africa.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Penstemon is a great suggestion for planting with salvias, thank you.

[@gost5041]

Dear Alexandra, I'm a great fan of your KZbin channel, thank you for being so sincere and benevolent...I've learnt so much from your videos. Greetings from Croatia! 🤗💚

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@lilwilliams7277]

Fabulous video thank you. I have a lot of Salvias, they are easy to take cuttings from. I have also moved a few with success I am pleased to say. Maybe I’ve been lucky.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It's good to hear that it works.

[@barbaracole4314]

I have that Salvia, hot lips, real easy to grow , have to trim it a little in winter or early spring, it gets so big.

[@flowergalpower2681]

I have purple salvia growing in every bed. I love them they flower quite long. I want to get different colours . I have purple and pink so far.

[@francesca4966]

Merci. Vos vidéos de jardinage sont les plus passionnantes de toutes. On apprend plein de choses dans chacune. Et même si j’ai un grand jardin méditerranéen français, j’adore me promener avec vous en Angleterre. Merci de m’avoir fait découvrir le couteau de désherbage hori hori. J’en ai acheté un aujourd’hui, et je me demande comment j’ai pu faire sans jusqu’à présent, c’est absolument génial !!! Bonne année et merci de continuer à nous poster des vidéos utiles.

[@heavymechanic2]

Hello, I'm across the pond in USA and just planted some Salvia plants in soil disturbed by machinery with poor topsoil. I use pine bark mulch to top-dress the soil surrounding the container soil. Intend to add a longer lasting mulch in autumn. Also considering placement of a Becky Shasta Daisy as a backdrop for contrast.

[@shirleyandrews1152]

I had ‘Hot Lips’ that seeded out & 1 grew in a crack in the sidewalk, in busy Monterey Calif. interestingly, people were very careful not to step on it🥰💐🌸

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Ah lovely.

[@kokoteta46810]

Hi Alexandra, Thank you for the interesting video, please can you tell me what is the lime green plant with bamboo kind of leaves, behind the benches both of you are sitting on. Many thanks

[@SpanishEclectic]

Another terrific interview! Mr. Dyson knows his salvias! Sage/salvias were always purple or blue, so these new colors are exciting. I bought the cherry-red 'greggii' recently (two sad-looking plants in one tiny plastic pot, for $2.50 on a clearance shelf). After a good chop and some regular water, it flowered nicely. Time to tease the roots apart and transplant them into their own pots. (Autumn is dry here). Lemon Vebena (Aloysia citriodora), grows well in the same conditions. Its flowers are tiny, but the leaves smell like lemon (can be used as an herb or for making tea). I thought my woody old plant was dead, but I cut it back hard, and new sprouts came up from the root, just as he said.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you. I've got Greggii too, and he is wonderful.

[@videoability1]

I have about 5 varieties of salvia... Zone 7a in NJ... and they have grown beautifully in my gardens for 4 years now as perennials. I cut them back in late Fall and mulch with chopped maple leaves. I have also moved several of them this past spring but I find that the taller varieties that he spoke of with larger leaves (like black & blue salvia) need to be transplanted early in spring when they are just emerging because their root system is so large! Hummingbirds love salvia more than any other plant in my garden so I no longer put out hummingbird feeders. All my salvia is planted in full sun but I was happy to hear the larger leaf varieties can take shade! I can't wait to move some next spring to a shady spot! I do not use any fertilizer on any perennials in my garden and they bloom wonderfully! This was such an informative video! Thank you for sharing this wealth of information with us! Choosing Joy ~ stephanie

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, that's interesting. I thought Salvia Black & Blue was beautiful.

[@susanharris7792]

I have a big problem with deer but they don’t like Salvia so thank you for this. More Salvias for me

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

And me, too, although I don't have deer

[@lindachenoweth9002]

Tried Salvias before but they didn't live, bought two last year and they came back beautifully this year. Didn't know about the difference in the size of the leaves, good to know, thank you. Great info video! Linda from S.W. Washington State. Love all your info videos, thank you!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@gardeningjunkie2267]

I'm really interested in all the companion plants in that garden. It's beautiful.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It is!

[@titiaswildlifecottagegarden]

I have 3 Salvia Nemorosa ost friesland variety in my front garden and I love it's vibrant purple shade, almost fluorescent. I did fed my salvia this spring with manure pellets. I do have clay soil, but it is heavily enhanced with compost by now. Good to know that they don't necessarily need fertilization. So I will skip using the pellets next year, but am going to add compost this fall on the front garden. Since two years I am using a company nearby that sells peat free compost in bulk for a cheap price. Really loving the results, also for newly dug borders in the back garden. Beneath the paving is always a layer of sand, which I replace with the compost. The plants seem to love it and are doing well.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds lovely.

[@irairod5160]

Thank you, what beautiful examples of flowering gardens you shared! I grow mostly natives, zone 7a, and the only two salvias that are endemic to my area are Salvia lyrata (lyre-leaf) and Salvia urticifolia (nettle-leaf sage). Both are blue and not as showy as the ones on the video, but the bees LOOOOOOVE them, and since I plant for wildlife, that makes them beautiful to me. I actually like lyre-leaf very much. It's not very tall, so I have masses of them in front of borders. The basal leaves remain through most of winter and have a purple-red tinge to the veins and edges, so they are often a good surprise to notice "perking up" after a frosty day.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you. I'm really looking forward to adding more salvias to my garden.

[@irairod5160]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden There are so many beautiful choices!

[@verawallace9055]

I bought a packet from home depot this Spring and didn't expect bloom until next year, to my surprise I saw one of the most beautiful little blue bloom on it couple weeks ago, I was looking for something blue to go with my white roses ,can't wait for it to get established next spring

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I think the research about growing them with roses could be really useful.

[@DownButNotOutYet]

I bought the small variety of Foxgloves, the first season thee was not much to see but this season they are just gorgeous, white, pink and yellow. Nature always brings us surprises, enjoy!

[@christinas3368]

What wonderful information on Salvias. Thank you for this. I potted two salvias in containers early on this summer and the tag read they were full sun loving plants. I placed them in the sun and the poor darlings wilted significantly in one day. I did move them to a part sun, part shady area and they thrived there. Learning here about the size of the leaves and knowing what to look out for is very helpful when the tag isn’t spot on.

[@philshaw439]

In my experience, if you plant them into the garden, there is no need for watering. If you plant them into a pot, you better water them every couple of days.

[@christinas3368]

@@philshaw439 yes I agree but I don’t think it was a water issue. There’s drip ran to my containers so they get water when they need it. My salvias have been thriving now for three months since placed them in less sunny locations. After watching this video, I learned these salvia type did not require full sun.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Sometimes labels aren't quite right, always good to experiment.

[@hilshils3426]

What a great video! Thank you. I am forwarding the link to our garden club! I find my Amistad survive the winter (usually) but I had 2 ‘Love & Wishes’ in the same bed that didn’t make it, and I’m in Hampshire! Would it help to mulch these PLUS put an upturned clay pot over the top? They quite quickly become quite big plants to dig up each year! I have some in pots too, no problem moving those snow I have a little trolley!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I lost Love & Wishes, too. I'm not sure about putting any pots on top, but most plants are helped by a mulch.

[@hilshils3426]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thank you

[@novaroses6844]

This was a very helpful video. Thank you! Does anyone know the name of the plant behind Mr. Dyson? With foliage that looks like clusters of grapes?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Sorry, I don't think I do.

[@Stettafire]

One long lasting flowering plant I love is New Zealand nightshade. Lovely purple flowers that last all year and birds love the berries. It is more like a tree, but when grown in a pot it won't get so big and uncontrollable

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's interesting!

[@folee_edge]

You don't have hummingbirds?? How sad! Loved this video!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, and yes, it is sad, because hummingbirds are so beautiful. We do have something called a hummingbird hawk moth (which is a moth, not a bird), which is a wonderfully clumsy looking creature, very clunky, but adorable.

[@bewoodford2807]

This was interesting as I love Salvias but I am very confused about the different types of salvias and the growing requirements for each. I have about 20 varieties of salvias but have no idea which sort needs what. I have hot lips, cherry lips and amethyst lips which I am assuming are the shrubby Mexican type referred to in the video. I also salvia black and blue, Amistad, deep purple, Caradonna and others. Cabnyou recommend a good source for investigating the types and requirements please? Thank you :-) x

[@WalkingbytheSpiritAlways]

Hi. It depends also on where you live. Salvia hot lips is an annual in my zone 7 in Georgia (never had one come back though it says zone 7 is possible). Salvia greggii types I think is what he means for Mexican shrubby types, and I do have them come back each year. Black and blue may or may not come back depending on where you live, but I suggest just Googling the varieties are are growing. I have gotten new salvias in containers for this year- Roman Red (wonderful so far and I showed it in my last video), Salvia Blue Chill, Salvia Arctic Fuschia, Wendy's Wish, Mirage Purple and Mirage Red, Salvia Vibe Ignition purple, Maraschino Cherry, Rockin Fuschia (not doing well so far) and I got several agastache plants too. My containers are sitting on concrete, so I am hoping they will do great with the extra heat. There really is great information if you just Google each variety. Blessings.

[@madq1826]

💚💚💚

[@cameliaturda6472]

💜

[@Kylie4Queen]

Another great video, Alexandra. When William refers to “shrubby Mexicans”, does that include Salvia Greggii?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'm reasonably certain that Greggii is herbaceous rather than shrubby, although he does come from that part of the world (The Chihuahua desert, apparently).

[@Kylie4Queen]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Thank you for responding. In that case, I don’t believe I grow any of the shrubby Mexican types in my garden. I’ll be on the lookout for them in the spring.