colour, fragrance and wildlife:
"UK: "Gardens can have it all with salvia"
A member of the sage family, salvias are a diverse group of plants that include annuals, herbs and herbaceous and evergreen perennials.
As free flowering and sun-loving plants, they make a colourful display in borders during July onwards until the frost comes. Offering fragrance and various shades of red, cream, purple and pink salvia is also a good pollinator and highly attractive to bees and butterflies.
Pippa Greenwood.
Salvia is a favourite of BBC Gardener’s World presenter Pippa Greenwood who says, “I'm a great fan of the hardier salvias. Even before the buds open they are attractive plants with erect stems, often with aromatic foliage and forming a sort of clump of exclamation marks. Then when the flowers appear, usually in shades of violet, purple, pink or white and with stunning, showy bracts, they can bring any sunny border to life instantly. They are much loved, not only by gardeners but also by bees and butterflies”.
Recommended RHS AGM varieties include:
Salvia Hot Lips
Salvia Seascape
Salvia Firecracker
Salvia Amistad
Salvia Black and Blue
Those looking for companion plants to complement salvia in the garden are recommended to try:
Phormium ‘Yellow Wave’
Hebe ‘Midsummer Beauty’
Pittosporum ‘Purpureum’
Digitalis x mertonensis
Nominated and agreed upon by British growers and retailers, the HTA’s Plant of the Month campaign highlights the plants that are widely available and looking especially good each month.
For more details, please visit www.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth
Download the Plant of the Month media pack, including high resolution photos via this link - https://cloud.the-hta.org.uk/public.php?service=files&t=f6334d0385c8324d35283645bdaf14c7
For more information
Horticultural Trades Association
Horticulture House
19 High Street
Theale
Reading
West Berkshire
RG7 5AH
T: +44 (0)118 930 3132
Fax: +44 (0)118 932 3453
NGGV: +44 (0)118 930 2092
www.the-hta.org.uk