Cut off old blossoms to keep salvias blooming longer

A cute little perennial salvia named Marcus grows only a foot tall, perfect for the front of the flower border. Considered a dwarf, it blooms with masses of flower spikes filled with small,

violet-purple, two-lipped blossoms.

Caradonna, on the other hand, is much bigger, often growing to 30 inches tall. This variety of perennial salvia produces spikes of dark purple blossoms.

Whether you're growing one of these popular new varieties from Germany or any of the other perennial salvias, they all have something in common. You can keep them blooming weeks longer if you take the time to cut off old blossoms as they fade.

Another choice: instead of waiting for the flowers to fade, cut the flower stalks when the blossoms first open. Salvias make wonderful cut flowers for bouquets.

Sometimes salvias--particularly older plants that haven't been dug and divided in a long time--fall open in the center as the season progresses. By the time that happens, new shoots are usually emerging at the base of the plant. If my plants fall open, I just cut the old stems back to the ground. Soon the salvias look springtime fresh again. Often they bloom again, although the late-season flowers tend to be smaller than before.

Perennial salvias are workhorses in a sunny garden. They thrive in the heat. They also easily survive drought (although they won't look as lush or bloom as much without supplemental water). The plants are also a great choice in gardens where deer regularly dine. Thanks to the aromatic foliage, deer typically just pass on by perennial salvias.

Blues and purples predominate in perennial salvias, but they also come in other fun colors. Snow Hill blooms in white. Amethyst is rose-violet.

If you like colorful foliage, there are perennial salvias that can fill that bill, too. Burgundy Bliss has burgundy foliage, while a variety called Purple Knockout has leaves of bronze, purple and red.

There are many dozens of uncommon but wonderful species of perennial salvia which, unfortunately, are not readily available as plants. Luckily, salvias are easy to start from seed, which is often much easier to find than plants. I got seed for one of my favorites, Jurisici's sage (Salvia jurisicii), from the annual seed exchange of the North American Rock Garden Society. This small salvia grows about a foot tall with deep lilac blossoms and unusual cutleaf foliage.