seeds of Salvia splendens, Tropical Sage, Scarlet Sage

Salvia splendens, commonly called tropical sage or scarlet sage, is herbaceous plant belonging to the family Lamiaceae. Synonyms include Salvua brasiliensis, Salvia colorans, and Salvia issanchou. The native home of Salvia splendens is in Brazil; a place where it grows indigenously to the present days. The popularity of the plant and its cultivars has led to its cultivation all over the world. The wild growing plant is rarely ever used given people have a preference for the smaller varieties and cultivars of the plant. The more popular dwarf versions of the original have names such as ‘Salsa’ and ‘Sizzler.’ Salvia splendens is famed for its red flowers which are the source of its name. Nevertheless, newer selections are exhibiting more colours than ever before. Such colours include white, pale blue, lavender and pink. The native plant grows to a height of between 1.5 and 8 metres. Dwarf varieties, on the other hand, have a height of 1 to 1.3 metres. Salvia splendens is a regular fixture in many malls and public gardens where it grows as an ornamental. The colourful blooms are not only bright and beautiful but also have an outstanding effect when grown in large numbers. Moreover, Salvia splendens has a remarkable effect in containers, borders, and beds from spring, through summer all the way to autumn. The flowers also attract butterflies which serve to improve the ornamental effect. Salvia splendens grows well in areas with plenty of sunlight and fertile, well-drained soils that have a thick layer of hummus. The soils should also be moist and be either medium loamy or slightly sandy. The soil pH should linger between slightly acidic and slightly basic. An additional benefit of Salvia splendens is the fact that it’s easy to grow. The plant is also pest and disease resistant which make the process of cultivating it very convenient.