pruning Salvias
- Subject: pruning Salvias
- From: Ernie Wasson s*@cruzio.com
- Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2005 20:07:36 -0800
Dear Richard & Medit folks,
It is amazing how geographic location dictates the care of plants! Here
at Cabrillo College we prune our Salvia microphylla back every spring
(sometime in February/March) to anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 to 2/3 of the
total height of the plant just as they begin to leaf out for spring
growth. We remove any old woody growth and any weak looking branches in
addition to heading back all remaining branches. Salvia microphyllas
are quite vigorous in our climate and can spread to form colonies
several feet wide, bloom for a majority of the year and are long-lived
plants. However, Salvia greggii languishes in our coastal climate and
usually is near death or looking rather sickly after a few years in the
ground. We only prune out dead branches. Right now Salvia greggii
'Scott's Red' is the only Salvia greggii looking happy in our garden. I
wish we could grow more but I suspect they wish they were in Texas or
some Mexican desert.
Spring is here in California
Ernie Wasson
Aptos, CA
On the Monterey Bay
