National Garden Bureau Announces: 2019 is the Year of Salvia nemorosa!

National Garden Bureau (NGB) announces 2019 as the Year of Salvia nemorosa! Salvia nemorosa is a hardy salvia that thrives in most gardens. Popular varieties you might have heard of include ‘Mainacht’ (MayNight), ‘Caradonna’ and ‘Ostfriesland’ (East Friesland). Those are all great selections, but new ones are now available. Look for ‘New Dimension’, ‘Bordeau’ ‘Salute’, ‘Swifty’, the Fashionista™ series and Salvia ‘Blue by You’.

In addition to the article by NGB, you should also read my article, The Saving Graces of Sage, for lots of great info.

Have you grown salvia in your garden? Plan to? We'd love to hear what you have to say about it. Tell us in the comment section.

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Another Pest On The Loose: The Redheaded Flea Beetle.

Yet another pest is on the loose, apparently moving southward from New England. Now it's the redheaded flea beetle (Systena frontalis). It has recently become a serious nursery pest, and if it's a problem for plant nurseries, it can become a problem for you.

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The redheaded flea beetle munches on roots and leaves of woody plants, vegetables and perennials including crape myrtle, hydrangea, roses, buddleia, forsythia, blueberries, cranberries, cabbage, beans, beets, sedum, salvia, hibiscus, rudbeckia and coreopsis. After overwintering in the soil, the larvae hatch and start on the roots. Heavy infestations can completely girdle plants.

The larvae are slender and white. Adult redheaded flea beetles are about 1/16 inch long, black with reddish heads and have long antennae. As the name suggests, they jump when spooked.

Gardeners probably won't see them when they're feeding in the root zone, but will notice skeletonized leaves from feeding adults. Redheaded flea beetles seem to be more abundant in rural gardens adjacent to row crops such as soybeans and corn.

So far, there aren't any sure-fire remedies for redheaded flea beetle infestations. They might be caught with sticky traps. They feed on certain weeds, so their numbers might be reduced if gardens are kept weed-free. Researchers are working on chemical combinations they hope will do the trick. Systemic insecticides containing dinotefuran and bifenthrin seem to work well. Dinotefuran is pretty expensive.

Pesticides should be applied in mid- to late spring when larvae are most active. Always follow label instructions when applying chemical pesticides.

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All-America Selections Announces 2012 Winners

All-America Selections has announced the winners for 2012. Seeds should be available at your favorite seed retailer in Spring.

Ornamental Pepper ‘Black Olive’ (Capsicum annuum) is the AAS Flower Award Winner that has shown superior heat tolerance. Striking purple foliage shows nicely with the fiery red edible peppers.

Salvia ‘Summer Jewel Pink’ (Salvia coccinea) is the AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner. Lovely pink flowers appear earlier than other pink salvias, and last longer. It attracts hummingbirds, too.

Pepper ‘Cayennetta’ F1 (Capsicum annuum) is a AAS Vegetable Award Winner. The plant is compact, bears heavily, and is easy to grow. Peppers are 3 inches to 4 inches long and exceptionally flavorful.

Watermelon ‘Faerie’ F1 (Citrullus lanatus) is another AAS Vegetable Award Winner. The skin is yellow, yet the meat is a traditional red. Home gardeners will love the novel coloring and the compact habit. Fruits are about 7 inches x 8 inches and weighs 4 to 6 pounds.

Learn more at the All-America Selections website.

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The Saving Graces Of Sage

"Sweet-smelling sage grows in abundance right at the front of my garden.  It has a forceful energy and produces a healing drink.  Helpful with many human ailments, it merits eternal youth."  -- Hortulus, Walafrid Strabo (c. 808 – August 18, 849)

"Amongst my herbs, sage holds the place of honour; of good scent it is and full of virtue for many ills," opined the monk.

His subject was Salvia officinalis (pronounced SAL-vee-ah oh-fiss-ih-NAH-liss), an herb known since ancient times for its healing properties.  Salvia translated means "saving."  Officinalis means "official", referring to its inclusion in the materia medica - that body of knowledge now known as pharmacology.  It is popularly called "common sage."  But there's nothing common about it.  Common sage is an extraordinary gift that heals the body and graces the table.

The plant is native to the Mediterranean region.  It's a member of the Lamiaceae family which includes mints, lavender and rosemary.

As I've mentioned in other articles, Hippocrates is quoted as instructing, "Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food."  So the species was and continues to be used as a flavoring and medicinal herb.  Salvia is rich in vitamins A, B-complex, C and numerous minerals.  It improves kidney and liver function and stimulates the circulatory system.  Antioxidant agents help to prevent carcinogenic compounds from forming.  Chemicals such as thujone are reputed to improve mental concentration.

If you are tempted to treat yourself with sage, I highly recommend you ask your doctor first.  This is particularly true of women who are pregnant.

Salvia is not a small genus.  Arguably S. officinalis is best known.  But there are between 700 and 900 species in the genus, including annuals, perennials, shrubs and sub-shrubs, making Salvia the largest genus in the Lamiaceae family.

It's well beyond the scope of this article to treat them all, so I'll mention only a few.

• Salvia coccinea - Common name: Scarlet Sage, Hummingbird Sage, Texas Sage. A tender perennial.  Native to southern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America.  Flower color: Red/variable.  Height: 18" to 24".  Hardiness:  USDA climate zones 7 - 10.  Exposure: Full sun to partial shade.  Use:  Ornamental.
• Salvia divinorum - Common name: Diviners' Sage, Maria Pastora.  A tender perennial.  Native to Sierra Mazateca in Oaxaca, Mexico.  Flower color: Light blue/white.  Fragrance: Don't know.  Height: 6' to 8'.  Hardiness: USDA climate zones 10 - 11.  Exposure: Shade.  Use:  Messes with the mind, calms anxiety.  Note:  Illegal in some states unless used for ornamental purposes.
• Salvia elegans - Common name: Pineapple Sage.  A tender perennial.  Native to mountains of Guatemala and Mexico.  Flower color: Red.  Fragrance: Pineapple.  Height: 36" to 48".  Hardiness:  USDA climate zones 8 - 11.  Exposure:  Full sun.  Use: Ornamental, tea, anti-depressant.
• Salvia farinacea - Common name: Mealy-cup Sage.  A tender perennial.  Native to Mexico.  Flower color: blue or white.  Height: 24".  Hardiness: USDA climate zones  8 - 11. Use:  Ornamental.
• Salvia guaranitica - Common name: Brazilian Sage, Hummingbird Sage.  A tender perennial.  Native to South America.  Flower color: Dark blue. Height: 24" to 48".  Hardiness: USDA climate zones 7 - 11.  Use:  Ornamental.
• Salvia hispanica - Common name: Chia.  Annual.  Native to Mexico and Guatemala.  Flower color: Light blue.  Height: 36".  Use: Beverage.
• Salvia nemorosa - Common name: Meadow Sage. Perennial.  Native to central Europe and western Asia.  Flower color: Blue, white, pink.  Height: to 36".  Hardiness: USDA climate zones 5 - 10.  Use: Ornamental.
• Salvia splendens - Common name: Scarlet Sage, Annual Salvia.  Annual.  Native to Brazil.  Flower color: Red, white, pink, salmon.  Height: 12".  Use: Ornamental.

As you have learned by now, there's a lot that you can do with salvia.  Don't forget, however, that the species have different properties.  You mustn't confuse them.

Herb gardens, fragrance gardens, hummingbird and butterfly gardens are not complete without salvia.  Salvia is also very effective in annual and mixed perennial borders for color and textural contrast.  If your growing space is limited, salvia performs well in containers.

Salvia guaranitica - Common name: Brazilian Sage, Hummingbird Sage

Salvia is generally heat-tolerant, often drought-tolerant, sometimes deer and rabbit resistant.  Particular tolerances, resistances, benefits and dangers depend upon the species.

Hardiness also varies by species.  Most require full sun and well-drained soils.  Take a soil sample, along with the name of the species you intend to grow, to your nearest Cooperative Extension Service office for proper analysis.

Prepare the planting bed by cultivating at least 6" deep, removing all traces of weeds. Compacted soil should be cultivated to 10" deep.  Compost may be incorporated into the soil.  Incorporate 10-10-10 fertilizer at a rate of no more 2 lbs. per 100 square feet into the top 4" to 6" of soil. Avoid synthetic fertilizers contacting any part of your plants.

Plant spacing varies by species. Dig planting holes into the cultivated soil a little less deep than the depth of the growing container.  Water the plants in the pots, then drain.  Place the plants into the holes and back-fill, watering as you go. Press soil around the root balls. Do not cover entirely the root balls with soil. The tops should be slightly exposed. Add a top-dressing of mulch around the plants, not on top of them, about 1" deep.

Plant your salvia with other species having similar cultural requirements.  The greatest cause of failure for salvia is over-watering.

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