Salvia ... The flower has a very beautiful and poetic name. Where did it come from? You can carry your imagination into the gray hairs of history and recall that in the days of Ancient Rome it was a female generic name Salviev. Perhaps the name of the flower perpetuated the beauty of the representatives of this ancient Roman family. Or maybe it comes from the substance salvinorin-A, which is part of it and is a psychoactive hallucinogen. You can be inclined to different options, however, salvia is the Latin name for plants of the sage species. Salvia is usually called medicinal plants of the family, decorative floriculture has chosen the option Salvia for the name. Photos of flowers can be found in many floriculture magazines.
Flowers of this family are one of the most numerous on Earth, as they number more than 900 species. This plant is found in temperate and tropical climatic zones of the entire globe. In the wild, salvia are flowers that grow in open sunny places. Light woodland, rocky slope, wasteland, water meadow - these are the best places for them. Depending on the species, salvia is a flower that can grow from forty centimeters to one and a half meters. Some species of this plant are distinguished by decorative carved leaves. You can find white, pink, blue, red, purple and yellow salvia. There is a medicinal plant of this family called "Tricolor". The petals of his flowers are terry and three-colored.
In countries with a warm climate, salvia is a perennial or biennial flower. In the climatic conditions of Russia, it is an annual, as it is not able to endure winter cold. Also, all plants of this species are divided into cold-resistant and heat-loving. There are such types of salvia as meadow, oak, forest, blue, sparkling, red, Spanish and many others.
These flowers are grown, as a rule, in places rich in the sun, tolerate partial shade. They love salvia heat and are very drought tolerant. For planting this plant, it is best to choose light sandy soil rich in humus. It should be remembered that the flowers do not tolerate stagnation of moisture. Salvia is a delicate flower, and therefore is often attacked by aphids, snails and slugs. Perennials are propagated by cuttings, and annuals, especially species by seed. This plant is prone to crossbreeding with flowers growing in the neighborhood.
A huge variety of species, unpretentiousness and ease of care earned these plants the love of flower growers. Salvia is a flower that can decorate any bouquet. Flowering Salvia bushes are an excellent decoration of any site, which is why we love the flower and designers who create spectacular compositions and decorate whole flower beds.
Seeds are planted in March, and then dive into separate pots in which seedlings grow until mid-June. Then the flowers are planted in open ground. From the time of sowing to flowering, approximately 100-120 days pass. However, such a long waiting period pays off with interest, since salvia blooms for a long time (from July to frost), giving the opportunity to admire the magnificent flowers.
Salvia gets along well in the neighborhood of cineraria, lobelia and marigolds.