Salvia

SALVIA, OR BOLIVIAN SAGE, Salvia Bolivian

WITHIN the last half-dozen years several new species and varieties of salvia have been introduced to our gardens, very much to the advantage of the winter colouring of the greenhouse and conservatory. Our old friend Salvia splendens is not eclipsed or superseded by any of the new-comers, for that and S. patens are still the two best plants of the sage family for the flower garden. When grown from summer-struck cuttings and potted on to insure strong plants, the scarlet-flowering sage is a loud summer beauty. The best place for a clump is in the sunniest part of the garden, the soil to be somewhat poor and stony, and if containing some proportion of old plaster or other calcareous rubbish, all the better. For a few isolated plants a sunny border near a hot wall answers admirably, as the heat reflected from the wall, together with the dryness of the soil, will favour the abundant flowering for which the plant is famous when growing to its own liking.

When raised from spring-struck cuttings, the scarlet sage will often make a free growth in the open ground, and show not a single flower to justify the little care it requires. In this case the possessor of the plant may still be as happy and hopeful as he that fights and runs away, for the triumph is but delayed, and may with proper courage be still commanded. Some time in September the flowerless plants should be carefully lifted so as to keep as much earth about their roots as possible, and be put into smallish pots--smallish as compared with the size of the plants, but not so small as to necessitate any severe injury to the roots. The soil used in filling in to make them firm in the pots should be poor sandy stuff, the fresher the better, but there is no manure needed. The roots must be kept only moderately moist, and the tops should be moistened with a shower from the syringe twice a day; the home of the plants must be a shady place in a warm greenhouse. In the course of a few days after being potted, they will hold up their heads and look well, and may then be put in the full light, and have water regularly, but should never be very wet at the root. There must be no pruning of any kind; not even a leaf should be injured except by unavoidable accident. All this is very simple, but it is none the less important. In the course of November the flowers will appear, and if the house is kept warm and the plants are near the glass, there will be a beautiful display for fully two months: say until the turn of the year, and then some other species of salvia may be at command.