If you are a salvia lover than you must heard of salvia divinorum and some of its special types such as Red salvia, often called scarlet sage, is a perennial plant that isn’t shy about letting you know when it’s under some sort of botanical stress, because you will start to see symptoms in the form of blemishes, spots, or other leaf problems. The best way to avoid red salvia leaf problems is good care to begin with.
Red salvia is a native Brazillian plant, and in temperate zones red salvia is considered an annual plant. Hard frosts will damage red salvia leaves and the plants typically do not survive cold or harsh winters. While the scarlet variety is among the best known, red salvia often offers a colorful display of burgundy, pink, or lavender blooms. The red salvia can often reach 18-20 inches in height. It is recommended that these plants be anchored in a sunny area in soil that provides good drainage. Standing water can lead to root rot or to over-watering.
If you do notice ragged, irregular holes in the leaves of your red salvia, it can indicate the presence of snails or slugs in the soil. Unfortunately they are attracted to moist, well-mulched flower beds, but you can control them by setting out small dishes or plates of beer on the ground near the base of your plants. The yeast in the beer attracts these pests, and they will crawl into the beer and drown.
Red salvia is a popular bedding plant because of its showy blooms, which can also attract bees and butterflies. They are inclined to cluster around stalks that extend about eight inches above the foliage, and these tube like blooms occur from early summer until the first frost of fall. Red salvia is a plant that will benefit greatly from mulching, and if your beds tend to dry out in the sun, adding mulch to them will aid in retaining moisture. This also helps deter weeds and keeps the roots cool. Often moisture can collect around the roots and if the sun’s heat is too intense it can literally cook and kill the root systems of these fragile plants.
Stakes will help preserve red salvias, as they tend to become susceptible to wind and rain that can knock down their branches, which become brittle with maturity. Tying the plant stems to the stake with a loose, soft string will help support branches well into maturity. Salvias aren’t as demanding of nutrition as other plants, so they typically need very little fertilizing. However, their root systems are shallow and topsoil can become dry quite rapidly. If rainfall is sparse during summer months, supplemental watering will be necessary.
It is not necessary to prune or trim red salvia but you can remove any faded or dying blooms and stalks if desired by pinching the stalk’s stem off at the point where it joins the foliage. This is an effective technique to employ when seedlings are 3-4 inches and you desire a bushier, thicker growth.