Drescription

Salvias are a favorite of gardeners thanks to their long bloom time and easygoing nature.

These perennials are often seen in their classic blue-purple hues (a preferred color of pollinators!), but you'll also find them in shades of red, pink, and white. And, while these spiky blooms will come back year after year, there are a few pruning tricks of the trade to keep the flowers looking abundant and healthy all summer long.

Want to get the most color out of the salvias in your garden? Here's how to prune salvias in the summer for bigger blooms and healthier plants.

Meet the Expert

Tammy Holloway is a Virginia Master Gardener and the owner of the Bay Haven Inn.

How to Prune Salvias During Summer

"Your pruning approach depends on the type of salvia, and whether it's an annual, herbaceous perennial, tender perennial, or more woody shrub-like plant," explains Master Gardener Tammy Holloway. "However, all salvia can be deadheaded in the summer to get continuous blooms."

She recommends keeping warm-weather pruning as light as possible, simply clipping off dead blooms. However, you can also give salvia a light prune if the plant begins to grow excessively or turn leggy.

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Determine the Type of Salvia You Have

Before you take the pruning shears to salvia, make sure you know what type you have in your garden. Some types of salvia, like evergreen salvia or Salvia nemerosa, prefer a hard pruning in summer after their first bloom. Other shrub-forming salvias do best with light pruning to maintain their shape throughout the summer.

Deadhead Any Spent Blooms

Regardless of the type of salvia you have in your garden, they can all benefit from deadheading. Removing any spent blooms will allow the plant to send more energy towards new growth.

Since salvia are typically continuous bloomers throughout the spring, summer, and sometimes fall, this allows them to produce as many flowers as possible.

Prune Areas That Negatively Impact Shape

If salvia is becoming leggy and looking less than vibrant, a summer pruning can help it regain its shape and focus energy on the healthiest parts of the plant. Cut away leggy branches or anything that extends beyond the desired shape. This is especially helpful with shrub-like salvia, like Salvia leucantha.

Cut Back Salvia When It's Overgrown

Salvia are wonderful border or backdrop plants but, especially along pathways, they can easily overtake any areas where they have room to grow. Trim back salvia that is growing into other plants or parts of your garden where you would rather it didn't spread. Try to avoid a hard pruning, but don't feel bad cutting overgrown stems and branches.

Additionally, cut back eager growers after their first bloom to encourage a second flush of flowers.

Why Prune Salvias?

Pruning salvias isn't necessary, but it will keep your plants both pretty and healthy. By pruning salvias throughout the summer, you'll encourage them to continue to bloom while also keeping the plant bushy rather than leggy.

5 Salvia Care Tips to Keep Them Blooming All Summer

Salvias are easy-going plants that add color and interesting foliage to the garden, and it doesn't take much to keep them flowering. But, to encourage continuous and abundant blooms from late spring through late summer, here are a few tips to make sure they're at their happiest.

Choose a Spot With Lots of Sun

Salvias are sun-loving flowers that will thrive even during the hottest, sunniest days of summer. Plant them in a spot where they're guaranteed to get at least six hours of direct sunlight per day.

Prepare for a Big Pruning After Summer

While summer pruning will keep your plants blooming and healthy, the big prune doesn't come until later in the year. This is when you'll cut back the plant, sometimes completely, to prepare for new spring growth.

"Perennial salvia may be cut back in the fall," Holloway says. "Depending on your zone, it can be pruned late winter and early spring as well."

Avoid Over-Watering

Salvia are drought-tolerant once established, so make sure they're planted in well-draining soil and resist the temptation to water them during the dog days of summer. The soil should be allowed to dry out completely between watering (or, more likely, summer rain!).

Fertilize Once at the Start of Spring

You don't need to worry about watering salvia biweekly or even bimonthly. Salvia can thrive without nutrients added into the soil though, if you do want to apply fertilizer, do it once at the start of spring.

Thin Out Plants When Necessary

Because some salvia will grow and spread throughout the season, it might be necessary to thin out the plants to keep them healthy. The upside? It's easy to propagate them, and you'll have additional salvia plants to spread throughout your yard or pass off on a neighbor with a green thumb.