Red Salvia Seeds

Red Salvia (Salvia splendens), or Scarlet Sage, is loved for its torch-like spikes of vivid scarlet-red flowers held above neat, bushy mounds of glossy green leaves. Compact and tidy, it is a classic bedding and border annual that delivers bold colour and draws bees and other pollinators. Dwarf cultivars stay around 30-40 cm, while the species typically reaches about 20-75 cm, making it equally at home in beds, edging, and containers.

Planting

Start seed indoors roughly 6-9 weeks before planting out. Surface-sow onto a moist mix and do not cover the seed, as it needs light to germinate; simply press it onto the surface. Keep warm at about 21-24 C with bright, indirect light, and expect germination in around 7-15 days. Move seedlings outdoors only after all frost has passed and the soil is warm, spacing transplants about 25-30 cm apart (up to 90 cm for tall, vigorous types). Grow in full sun in well-drained soil with a pH of about 6-7.

Fertilizing

Mix a slow-release fertiliser made for annuals into the soil at planting. A balanced general-purpose NPK feed at planting, with optional monthly applications at half strength through summer, boosts the number of blooms. For container plants, apply a potassium-rich liquid feed such as a tomato fertiliser once a month during the growing season.

Care

Water when roughly the top 5 cm of soil is dry; this plant is fairly drought tolerant and dislikes constantly wet soil. Pinch out the young shoot tips to encourage bushy growth, and clip off faded flower spikes to keep new blooms coming. Watch for damping-off, stem and root rots, powdery mildew, and Botrytis, plus aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. Good airflow and wider spacing reduce mildew.