Sage Advice: Fill in those late-summer gaps with many-splendored salvias

I'm about as far from a plant collector as you can get, being blatantly indiscriminate in loving so many different kinds of plants. I'm impressed by gardeners who studiously collect various genera and species, but I'm lucky if I remember the names of half the plants in my garden. I'm far more interested in their textures, colors, growing patterns and how they mix together. However, I seem to be captivated by salvias (a.k.a. sages) and am now growing more than a dozen kinds. And paying close attention, because they're a bit tricky in their requirements but extremely rewarding when they take hold and bloom happily.

August into early September can be a gappy time in the garden, and this is just when salvias look their best. While asters and chrysanthemums are the traditional late-summer flowers, salvias are more various, interesting and long-blooming. To be fair, I'd best quote British gardener Christopher Lloyd, who has run into far more salvias than I have. In "Christopher Lloyd's Garden Flowers" (Timber Press, 2000) he says, "The genus of the sages is vast and includes a high proportion of rubbish, from the gardener's point of view, so don't be impressed when you meet a professed enthusiast for the lot. However, that still leaves a great deal to preoccupy us."

I haven't run into any rubbish yet, but have to admit I've grown only a small percentage of the possible 900 species. Salvias have square stems (as with all mints) and charming little two-lipped flowers, either spaced out or crowded along flower spikes. Some are shrubby, some perennial, many are tender. Salvias have long been considered medicinal; their name means safe and well in Latin. Their aromatic foliage repels pests, while the flowers attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. The new "Sunset Western Garden Book" lists dozens of species and hybrids, showing that salvias are now widely available.

Most gardeners start out, and too often end, by growing Salvia officinalis, or culinary sage, used along with onions in stuffings. It can grow into a scraggly shrub, so prune lightly in springtime after the new leaves begin to appear (cut just above new growth), and plan on replacing plants every three to four years when they get too leggy to bear. 'Tricolor' has gray-green leaves trimmed in cream, and the new growth is pink; the foliage of 'Icterina' is bordered in gold.

Among the salvias that have proved hardy over the past several winters in my garden are several showy standouts. My absolute favorite may be hard to find: I bought it from Mary Fisher at Cultus Bay Nursery up on Whidbey Island, and it is the plant that got me going on salvias. Salvia microphylla 'Rosita' is small, delicate, branching and covered from June until frost with the most unbelievably hot pink flowers. These flowers are the color of the brightest lipstick you'd ever dare wear, or the color you'd want to paint your toenails for a Mexican vacation. (Sorry, this warm, vivid shade of pink doesn't bring to mind any color metaphors for guys.)

Salvia patens has larger flowers than 'Rosita,' but fewer flowers per plant. This is made up for by the intense gentian blue of the flowers, a rich color that looks great with the golden yellows of late summer. Salvia uliginosa provides a hit of tall, pale-blue spires from August until frost, and thrives in wet soil. And for the most sensual foliage in the garden, try Salvia argentea for its thick, downy silver leaves.

Salvias need full sun, shelter from wind, and perfect drainage, for nothing kills most salvias faster than wet soil. They don't need much water once established, nor fertilizing besides once in the springtime. Give them the warmest spot in the garden and you'll be rewarded by such fascinating, colorful flowers that you, too, may be suckered into plant collecting.

Now In Bloom:

Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria) are a flower arranger's dream, with azalea-like flowers in an array of pastel shades that last for weeks when cut. The Ligtu hybrids are long-blooming, hardy, with flecks and blotches in various colors. They grow from tubers, need a warm spot, sunshine and a protective mulch in winter.

Valerie Easton is a horticultural librarian and writes about plants and gardens for Pacific Northwest magazine. Her e-mail address is vjeaston@aol.com.