Salvia are long-living, resilient perennial plants which cope well with sunny, dry conditions once established. They're low-maintenance plants, although supplied as bare root or root-ball plants, they will need a little more attention to start with while they're settling in. We recommend potting them up on arrival and growing them on for a few months until they are more established before planting them out into borders or sunny, dry areas. You'll need to water them regularly during the first growing season, but after that they are quite self sufficient and will grow back every year.

How to plant:

• Salvia are hardy, there is no need to protect them from frost. You can plant salvias in spring or autumn but they must be planted in the same season as supplied, ideally within a week of delivery while they're still fresh and viable.
  

• Salvias are supplied as either root balls (with soil on the roots) or as bare roots (without soil). You can often plant root ball salvias directly into a clear space in a well cultivated border, depending on the soil type, moisture levels and growing conditions in the border. Avoid planting them directly into a space which could soon become over-crowded by more established plants. Salvias supplied as bare roots should be potted up, this will give them a gentle and easy start and then they can be transferred into a border once they are more established.

• Soak the roots in water for 3-6 hours prior to planting.

• Plant bare roots and root balls so that they are fully submerged with the buds or crown just below the surface or any top growth exposed.

• When planting out, choose a sunny position with free-draining soil and space the plants 15-20cm apart. If you are planting in containers or potting up, you can use multipurpose or soil-based compost.

• Salvia are drought tolerant and don't like to be in wet conditions all the time. Water well immediately after planting and continue watering regularly in the first year, but only when the soil starts to feel dry 2-3cm below the surface.

Aftercare:

• There should be some buds or shoots visible on the plants/bare roots when they are supplied. After planting, the buds or shoots should continue to grow and produce leaves. When planting in autumn, they may produce some initial growth and then become dormant and stop making progress through winter, but resume growing again the following spring. If planting in spring, they should grow and produce leaves through spring and summer. Whether they flower in the first year usually depends on how early in the season they are plated and also the growing conditions. If they do not flower in the first year, they should start flowering from the second year.

• After flowering, trim the stems down as far as the foliage. Clump-forming Salvias such as Salvia nemorosa and Salvia pratensis can be cut right down to around 3-5cm from the base in autumn. The more woody Salvia mycrophylla like 'Papajan' and 'Hot Lips' can be trimmed by around one third in autumn, then cut back by a further third around March/April after any harsh frosts.

• Pair with sun-loving perennials or ornamental grasses which will enjoy similar growing conditions, such as Pennisetum, Helenium, Echinacea and Rudbeckia.

Read further general instructions about planting bare-root perennials