William Dyson, curator at Great Comp Garden near Sevenoaks, has been growing and propagating sage at his small on-site nursery for over 25 years. He grows over 200 different varieties including Salvia ‘Silas Dyson’ and Salvia ‘Dyson’s Joy’. These introductions have made this beautiful sage a must-have for designers and gardeners looking to add stems, colour and movement to borders.
“Sage really likes the sandy stretches that run beneath our feet here,” says William. “The variety of flower colours and the long flowering period from May to November make these plants a real gardener’s favourite.”
Plant sage in well-drained soil. If you have clay soil, plant them in pots and containers. These plants like lots of sunlight so make sure they are planted in full sun or they will lean towards the light.
You will need to prune these plants twice: once in spring and again in July. For spring pruning, cut fairly low and remove any dead branches from the winter. Make sure you can see the buds below where you cut.
A second ‘Hampton Hack’ in July (see video below) can be done with pruning shears or loppers. Cut just below where the flower cluster is, repeat all over the plant and the plant will flower again in 5 weeks.
Only potted sage needs fertilizer; if you fertilize in the ground, you will see vigorous growth and fewer flowers. For pots, use a high potassium fertilizer such as tomato fertilizer.
With July in full swing, now is the perfect time to prune your sage plants so they can provide you with flowers throughout the summer and fall. The second pruning of the year (after the first in April) is called ‘The Hampton Hack’.
Sage can be found all over the world: South America, Central America, Mexico, Europe, Asia and the USA, but Mexican sage is perhaps the most weather-hardy and can overwinter outdoors in the UK without any problems.
Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ put this genus on the map when it was introduced in 2002. Since then, wonderful varieties such as ‘Pink Lips’, ‘Amethyst Lips’ and ‘So Cool Pale Blue’ have increased gardeners’ popularity of Mexican sage.
Pollinators love the delicate flowers of Mexican sage. If you look closely, you can see the tiny ‘drill’ holes where bees have drilled through to get to the sweet nectar.
Watch as Vikki Rimmer takes you on a tour of the impressive Mexican sage collection at Great Comp Gardens, Kent:
This sage was bred by the amazing Mrs Robin Middleton, who passed away earlier this year.
Growing up to 75cm tall, Peter Videgeon has dark green leaves and pale pink flowers.
The result of Plant Growers Australia’s breeding program, this plant has been trialled at our nursery in Sevenoaks since 2014.
Salvia ‘So Cool Pale Blue’ has a mesmerizing blue colour, unique among Mexican shrubs. Plants grow up to 50cm tall.
This wonderful new hybrid appeared at Hans Kramer’s De Hessenhof nursery in the Netherlands. It produces long-lasting dark purple flowers.
Nachtvlinder is very drought tolerant and hardy in most areas, given full sun and good drainage. It will grow into a bush and reach 75cm tall.
Grown at my nursery at Great Comp Garden in Sevenoaks, this bicolour hybrid has a compact habit and produces profuse flowers from May to November.
Drought tolerant and hardy in most areas, given full sun and good drainage. Grows up to 60cm tall.
