Salvia is a genus of perennial shrubs and herbaceous plants belonging to the Lamb family or Labiatae. In its natural environment, the plant grows in all regions with a temperate and tropical climate, with the exception of Australia. There are over 800 species of the genus Salvia. Wherein medicinal plant used in folk medicine, to eliminate confusion, they are called sage, and only decorative species are called salvia.

Short description

Despite the fact that salvia is a perennial, it is grown in Russia for one or two years. Under a thick layer of snow, the plant will easily overwinter, but in the winter months with little snow it will freeze.

Salvia's stems are quite high, reaching a height of no more than 1 meter. The leaves on the upper side are deep green, and on the lower side they have a whitish bloom. They are solid and are located one against the other. Salvia inflorescences consist of small flowers that are collected in 15-centimeter ears or panicles of various shades.

The plant is used in landscape design and decorate flower beds with it. During the period of active growth, it does not lose its shape, but different heights bushes allows you to use it to create multi-tiered compositions. Salvia is used not only for landscaping urban flower beds, but also for decorating personal plots.

Popular species and varieties

Experts distinguish 3 main groups of varieties of this plant - American subtropical, frost-hardy and Mediterranean. American subtropical species are grown as annuals because they are not hardy.

Salvia brilliant

The most popular variety of the American group is the brilliant (sparkling) salvia. The plant grows to a height of about 70 cm and has lush foliage. Flowers of this type of salvia are large and are collected in a brush of several pieces. In length, the inflorescences reach about 25 cm. Most often, the corolla is painted in a rich red hue, but sometimes they have a purple, snow-white or pink color. The most valuable is purple salvia. The flowering period of brilliant salvia occurs at the beginning of summer and lasts until autumn. The most common varieties of this species are Fire Star, Salvador, and Red Arrows.

Bright red salvia

Another popular variety in this group is the bright red salvia. She has petiolate leaves, ovoid in shape. The inflorescences are about 30 cm long and consist of large red flowers with long tubes. It begins to bloom in the middle of summer and continues until the first frost. The most famous varieties are Lady in Red and Sherry.

Mealy salvia

Such a species from the subtropical group as powdery salvia stands out for its decorativeness. The plant reaches a height of no more than 90 cm and has oblong foliage with down located exclusively along the veins. Compared to other varieties of inflorescence, powdery salvia is small in size (no more than 20 cm), but, nevertheless, the species is of high value due to long-term and beautiful bloom... The flowering period of the plant lasts from the end of summer and ends closer to the beginning of the winter months. At this time, powdery salvia has corollas of snow-white and deep blue tint... Common plant varieties are Anschuld, Victoria and Strata.

Variegated salvia

Compared to the American group, the Mediterranean is more resistant to cold weather, but only if they are pre-insulated. They also tolerate drought and scarcity more easily. nutrients... In this group, variegated salvia (viridis) is the most popular. Famous varieties variegated salvias are Pink Sandy and Oxford Blue. The description of the viridis is as follows:

• height about 60 cm;
• a large number of branching stems;
• dense foliage covered with fluff;
• simple inflorescences no more than 30 cm in length;
• bracts of pinkish or purple color.

Dandelion-leaved salvia

A herbaceous variety from the Mediterranean group is dandelion-leaved salvia. Her rosette is basal, the leaves are dissected, with an edge on back side... Inflorescences grow no more than 28 cm in length. Flowers come with pink corollas and unusual emerald throats with purple blotches. Main feature of this kind is that all parts of it smell good.

Oak salvia

For cultivation in Russia, varieties belonging to the frost-resistant group are best suited. Their distinctive feature is not only resistance to cold, but also abundant flowering, which begins only a year after planting in open ground... Common in this group is such a species as oak or forest salvia. The bush reaches a height of no more than 60 cm. The lower petiole leaves are slightly smaller than the upper ones. Inflorescences are clusters of small flowers with corollas painted in purple... The flowering period is from early summer to autumn. The most popular varieties are Amethyst, Plumaozu and Meinacht.

Care and planting in open ground

It is recommended to plant salvia in light waterproof soil enriched with lime. The planting site should be well lit as all species love the sun. It is advisable to plant a plant in open ground in late spring or early summer. In the dug holes, located at a distance of 25 cm from each other, it is necessary to add a little humus and only then cross the bush from the pot.

Care includes performing all the usual manipulations, such as watering, fertilizing, weeding and loosening the soil. Watering is recommended after the soil dries out, in the evening, without using a large number water. Some time after watering, the soil should be loosened and weeds, if any, should be removed. It is desirable to feed the plant with a complex mineral fertilizer several times over the summer.

Perennial plants need formative pruning, which prevents the shoots from stretching and exposing and stimulates the growth of new shoots. Once the flowering period is over, the wilted flowers must be removed. Before wintering, you should also trim the salvia and cut off old shoots so that a few centimeters with buds remain.

Salvia is one of best plants for decoration. She is not whimsical in her care and creates a simply enchanting atmosphere. Another advantage of this flower can be confidently called its medicinal properties. In folk medicine, this plant is known as sage. It has many applications: stomatitis, gum disease, tonsillitis, bronchitis, diabetes mellitus, stomach cramps. And this is not a complete list.

These are all great reasons to enrich landscape design your site with one or more of over 900 sage varieties. The information below is designed to help you as much as possible in growing a flower. salvia: photos of flowers, seedlings, when to plant - all this is provided with care for you. To get started, check out different kinds these colors by looking at the photo.

We plant salvia seeds for seedlings correctly

Salvia cannot stand very coldy, therefore, in latitudes with harsh winters, it is grown as annual flower... Its rare planted directly in open ground, since in this case it would have to wait for flowering at least three months. Wanting to increase the period of admiring the beauty of sage, most owners of personal plots prefer to resort to growing seedlings in advance. What needs to be considered in this process?

Cooking containers and substrate

At this stage, special attention should be paid to the following points:

• For growing seedlings, it is better to choose a shallow container.
• It is imperative to make holes in the container, otherwise the seedlings may die from the accumulation of excessive moisture.
• A layer of expanded clay or small stones is placed at the bottom of the container.
• The seedlings will grow best in a mixture of sand, peat and earth.
• There should be about two centimeters to the edge of the container.

You can see the options for containers in which you can plant salvia for seedlings in the photo.

We plant salvia seeds for seedlings. When to do it?

Many growers prefer to plant seeds. sage seedlings already in February, but you can do it in March. When planting seedlings, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• Before planting the seeds, moisten the soil with a spray gun and tamp lightly. This is necessary so that very small flower seeds (see photo below) do not go deep enough that they could not germinate.
• The sown seeds are either sprinkled with a very thin layer of soil, or they are slightly pressed into the substrate without sprinkling. They need light to germinate.
• It is preferable to plant the seeds of the salvia flower in lines, because this will make it easier to separate the seedlings when diving.
• Cover the top of the container with cellophane, glass or several layers of paper.
• Watering exclusively by drip prior to germination.
• Optimum temperature before emergence - a little more than 20 ° C.

How to properly care for sage seedlings

To enjoy this wonderful flower all summer, a photo of which is provided in the article in abundance, and still be able to make preparations for medicinal purposes, it is not enough to pay attention only to how and when to plant sage seeds correctly. The next stage - caring for the seedlings - is no less important. Seedlings may appear in the second, third or fourth week after planting. What do sage seedlings need?

• As soon as the shoots appear, the temperature should be lowered to 18-20 ° C.
• At the same time, it is necessary to remove the shelter from the seedlings and make sure that it is illuminated for at least 12 hours a day.
• Seedlings should be watered very carefully, since salvia does not tolerate waterlogging.
• After two weeks, the seedlings can be fed with a complex mineral fertilizer.
• A month and a half after germination, a pick is made. The sprouts should be planted either in small containers one at a time, or in one large container, keeping a distance of about 7 cm.
• When the seedlings reach 17 cm in height, it is advisable to pinch to increase the volume of the bush.
• Seedlings should be planted in open ground only when the threat of even small frosts is completely gone.
• Two weeks before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, you need to start hardening them, exposing them to fresh air.

It will take no more than the usual time and effort for growing for the beautiful salvia to bloom on your site. Photos of flowers, seedlings, when to plant and other points are posted on our website in order to make it easier for you to grow this plant. Taking another look at the photo of this ornamental plant, you will understand that its cultivation is a very rewarding business. Don't forget about the amazing medicinal properties sage, which can help fight many diseases.

Salvia is a plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family.

If we translate the names of the flower salvus literally, we get the word, meaning "to be healthy"... And this is not surprising, because since ancient times Salvia has been highly valued for its medicinal properties.

In addition to the main name, Salvia is also called sage.

Salvia American Group is a one year old plant that is grown only in climates warm type... The Salvia group of the mid-terrestrial marine type are plants that are more winter hardy and have a huge variety of colors. Cold-resistant varieties of Salvia are found in almost all climatic zones. They are represented by a wide variety of species and unpretentious conditions cultivation. This type of Salvia can grow even in shady places and during wintering. do not require any shelter.

The genus of the Salvia plant is so diverse that it has more than 1,000 varieties. To create decor and home growing the most commonly used varieties are Salvia brilliant and sparkling Salvia.

Salvia plant its features

The height of the plant can sometimes be more than 90 centimeters, and when growing a perennial plant, it can reach up to 120 centimeters and form either a bush or a semi-bush. In moderate and cool climatic zone , Salvia grows for one or two years. Today, there are both red, white, pink and purple-colored plants.

The leaves of the plant are mostly pinnately dissected, although plants with whole leaves can also be found. Salvia are characterized by small flowers that form at the end of the peduncle into inflorescences that outwardly resemble an ear or panicle. The length of the inflorescence reaches 25 centimeters. The fruit is capable of forming up to 4 nuts. Seeds, plants ripen a month after the beginning of flowering... You can collect seeds with color no earlier than a month after it has fallen. The germination capacity of such seeds reaches five years of age. If there is a cultivation of varieties of a two-year type, the seeds must be planted only in the fall and be sure to cover them for the winter.

Salvia is a flower that can decorate not only a flower bed, but also any other area, as it blooms throughout the summer, until the first frost appears. Salvia has a varied color range, which allows you to create multi-level flower beds. The level of gas pollution in the air in no way case does not affect the plant, which allows you to grow it even in megacities in large flower beds.

Varietal variety of Salvia

Based on the characteristics of agricultural technicians, this plant is divided into three large groups.

The first group is considered to be plants that grow in the subtropics of America, in our climate they can only be grown as annuals. Species of this type prefer moist soil and do do not tolerate any frost.

This group includes the following varieties of Salvia:

The second group includes plants that are of Mediterranean origin. They are more resistant to shock temperature regimes and drought resistance. This type of Salvia prefers loose soils and mineral fertilizing.

Salvia planting and care

When is it necessary to sow Salvia for seedlings?

A plant that will be planted from seeds is able to bloom already in the fourth month of life, which is why annual crops are grown mainly in this way.

Nowadays, seeds for planting can be bought or collected on your own.

Self-assembly it is best to carry out when the seeds are fully ripe, this happens no earlier than 50 days after the flower has completely fallen off.

Before you start sowing seeds, you need to prepare the soil. For this, it is necessary to pre-cultivate the land. special composition, which will enhance the biological processes in the earth. The soil for planting should be soft and nutritious. Box with ready mix for planting stand t place in a special pallet, align as much as possible and only then start sowing seeds. For maximum pressing of the seed to the ground, it is necessary to moisten the soil with a special sprayer. Seedlings appear in 10 - 12 days. During this period, it is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out. Watering should be done only through the pallet. In addition, it is important to prevent wetting of the sheet plate.

Salvia seedling care

As mentioned above, watering should be carried out only through the pallet, while using a special spray bottle. Through the existing drainage holes, moisture is able to get to the plant and saturate its soil. Excess moisture negatively affects the development of the plant, as it leads to root decay. So that the sprouts do not stretch and were strong, the seedlings are exposed to the light. The night temperature should not exceed 21 degrees, and the daytime at 25.

Picking

When 2 or more true leaves appear, it is necessary to pick the plant. For this, it is worth using only nutritious and loose soil. It is necessary to deepen the seedlings along the cotyledon. A month later, as the first shoots of Salvia made themselves felt, they dive into separate cups, the diameter of which is at least 12 centimeters. If the plant two weeks after the pick is weak and significantly lagging behind in growth, it may be necessary to apply mineral fertilizer. Landing in the ground held no earlier than at the end of April.

Landing in open ground

Basically, disembarkation is carried out after complete completion. spring frosts... For planting, it is necessary to choose the most fertile and loose soil. If the mail is heavy beforehand should be fertilized with humus... The landing site should be as protected from the wind as possible.

To achieve abundant flowering you can make potassium - phosphate fertilizers. Disembarkation perennial plants spend at a large interval from each other. Watering is carried out only with warm water. For two to three days, after planting, the plants are sheltered from direct sunlight.

Care in summer time of the year

The main purpose of this maintenance is correct and timely watering, loosening of row spacings and weeding. In addition, in the summer, they carry out the introduction of various mineral fertilizers allowing you to increase the number of colors. Watering is carried out only when the soil dries up and only in evening time... The plant is undemanding to high humidity... It is best to feed Salvia when the plant is in a budding state. The essence of caring for a plant in summer consists of a small number of points:

• timely watering;
• inter-row loosening;
• harvesting grass and a little feeding of the plant.

Watering the plant should be done only when the soil begins to dry out.

Thanks to some types of plants, it is possible to design all personal plot one kind of plant, but different varieties- this plant includes the Salvia flower. People call it sage. 1000 varieties of Salvia, which have not only decorative and culinary, but also medicinal species, the so-called sage. There are beliefs in which sage flowers have magical properties in the form of predicting the fate of a person and a country. And also in the leaves and flowers of the plant contains the component salvionorin A, which affects the human psyche as a psychotropic agent. Therefore, using medicinal sage varieties, do not exceed the dosage of the plant.

Description of the Salvia flower

Salvia flower (sage) belongs to the genus of herbaceous, shrubby plants cultivated varieties - annual and perennial, more often domestic gardeners grow it as a biennial plant. The plant tolerates winter and frost well, is unpretentious in cultivation, does not require direct sun rays but also dislikes solid shadow.

Flowers in the form of spikelets, consisting of 35-90 small inflorescences, bloom, starting from the bottom, an ear in the form of a pyramid, 10-30 cm long. Flowers are white, pink, yellow, lilac, purple, blue, red, color pink... The inflorescences are fragrant, the flowers are double-lipped, one lip is turned down. After flowering, fruits are formed - nuts, three-tetrahedral dark in color.

The height of the plant, depending on the variety, ranges from 30 cm to 160 cm.The leaves are pale green (bright green glossy in some decorative varieties), elongated, solid, pinnately dissected, soft terry to the touch.

The stem is powerful, juicy, breaks easily. By winter, the stem becomes stiff, by the spring its upper part freezes, it must be cut off. The root is powerful, grows well.

For a long time flowering plant, starting from June - July, to September - October, belong to the Yasnotkov family. Some types of Salvia are grown not only in the open field, but also indoors.

Growing Salvia outdoors and indoors

The most popular species for growing in the country near domestic gardeners- Salvia oak, Salvia officinalis, Salvia meadow, Salvia brilliant, Salvia red.

Salvia flowers are easily pollinated, so if the gardener wants to preserve the varieties, then they should be planted in different areas, far from each other.

For open ground, seedlings are prepared from seeds on their own or they buy seedlings in nurseries. The most suitable time for planting seedlings in open ground is April - early March. If you do the seedlings yourself, then the seeds are sown in separate containers in the first half of February. Planting seeds in the ground is only suitable for frost-resistant seeds, which are sown at the end of March, covering the seeds with soil and dry sawdust, cover the planting site with polyethylene.

The soil for the seeds should be loose and sandy. We make the soil mixture in this proportion 1: 2: 1: 1 soil, sand, peat, sawdust.

1. For 3-4 days, we treat the soil with a solution of manganese or fungicide for disinfection. The day before sowing seeds, water the soil.
2. We sow seeds and cover the container with glass, jar or polyethylene.
3. We open, ventilate and moisten the soil as needed.
4. Seeds will sprout within a month, which after germination can be left open after a week. If the seeds were sown in one container and sprouted close to each other, then they should be transplanted into separate pots when 4 true leaves appear.
5. When 5 leaves appear on the plant, it should be taken outside in the daytime for hardening, while the air temperature should be at least 18 degrees. On 5-6 leaves, the plant should be pinched, then it will begin to release branches and become more luxuriant.

If under glass on the ground forms white mold, the plant begins to rot, then you need to open it, and sprinkle the soil wood ash and sawdust. Stop watering for 3-4 days.

Landing in open ground:

1. Transplanted in cloudy weather or in the evening in May - first half of June;
2. Prepare the soil to which add slaked lime, ash and sand;
3. Water the day before transplanting warm water... Dig a hole so deep that you can deepen the plant with the first 2 leaves from below, but so that 2-3 cm is left before the roots;
4. Press the soil around tightly.
5. Watering, fertilizing, loosening and weeding should be done as needed.

Salvia is planted by dividing the roots and cuttings, in the middle of August - September. Such breeding methods can be used in spring, but then on the main bush, there will be few flowers or they will not bloom this year.

Thermophilic varieties are grown on the balcony, annuals:

1. Salvia brilliant (Sahara, Salvator);
2. Salvia bright red (Lady in red).

On the windowsill in the apartment, you can grow Mediterranean varieties of Salvia, which will delight their owners with flowering for 3-5 years, then the plant should be updated. These include:

1. Salvia variegated (White Swan);
2. Dandelion-leaved salvia;
3. Salvia whorled.

Caring for flowers on the balcony and in the pot on the windowsill is identical: watering, loosening the soil, feeding as needed.

Useful properties of the plant

Salvia, or rather its type Salvia officinalis, contains a lot of useful properties:

1. Vitamins A, B, C;
2. Essential oils;
3. Tannins;
4. Acids;
5. Micro and macro elements.

Decoctions are widely used in dentistry, dermatology, cosmetology, otolaryngology, folk medicine. Manufacturers of medicines add Sage to medicines as an anti-inflammatory, sedative. If you put it in a pot on the windowsill, then during its flowering you can inhale essential oils, and add to tea.

Before using it for food or in the form of decoctions of the plant, you need to consult with your doctor. There are contraindications for using leaves and flowers for food or drinks: pregnancy, lactation, breastfeeding. Salvia is not recommended for people with mental disorders and epileptic seizures.

Create incredible annuals and perennial flower beds from Salvia, the process is not complicated, but very exciting. Sage flower clubs will delight their bright color and the smell of 30 to 70 days of summer days.