Salvia pruning (was Indigo Spires)
- To: Mediterranean plant list <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
- Subject: Salvia pruning (was Indigo Spires)
- From: J* S*
- Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 16:50:59 -0700
Like Kemberly in Katy TX, I whack down my salvias when they get too tall
and floppy. I love to plant S. Indigo Spires on the north side of a
large shrub rose, so it leans and grows through. The intense violet-blue
wands look great threading through just about any color rose, and the
rose serves to hold up the salvia.
Otherwise, I just whack it back to whatever size I feel like. I just cut
one to 12 inches about 2 weeks ago, and it is up to 2 ft. with a new
spire on it already. I cut back the flopper, S. Van Houtii two times
during the growing season; the last cut being the second week in August.
It is coming into bloom now with its deep red pendant blooms and only 2
ft. high.
My salvia greggiis and cousins get a good !/2 cut back whenever they
split too much or I can stand to be without flowers for 4 weeks; again
during the growing season. I think this especially important when they
are young as they'll develop densly with a better rounded shape.
The Salvia scordaeifolia (sorry Richard, wrong spelling; please send it
to me again) gets cut to the ground in mid-summer after its spring bloom
is spent. Now it is going gang-busters!
I read with interest Richard du Fresne remarks that the subsequent
lateral growth after pruning is weak and subject to breaking. I will
carefully watch my new growth to see if that is true in this climate of
the long, dry summer. The salvia tribe as a whole seem extremely
brittle. All you have to do is pass through a little too fast, and,
crack, a whole branch is on the ground!
I've kept my shears off Salvia guaranitica so far. It is a young plant
and has bloomed all the way. I've been able to prop it up with bamboo
sticks so far. I've found prunings from Golden bamboo with their little
branchlets left on, make the best props in my garden. The tomato hoops,
left whole or cut to open, always show. S. guaranitica 'Black and Blue'
has been cut down to 12" once in the summer. It's over 6 ft. now that
it's in bloom.
Enough! You're tired of reading!
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Jan Smithen, gardening teacher
California Arboretum Foundation
jansmithen@earthlink.net
Sunset zone : 19
USDA zone : 10
Visit the California Arboretum homepage at :
http://www.arboretum.org/
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