- Part of the mint family, they're the largest genus in the Lamiaceae family with about 900 different species of salvias and many more cultivars.
- The word Salvia comes from the Latin, 'Salvarea' meaning to heal or to save.
- Each individual flower is shaped like a tube with two lips and, at the back of the flower; the callus provides protection when they're in bud. The flowers are arranged on a spike-like inflorescence on square stems.
- Sage is an ornamental herb which is part of the salvia family.
- 'Mystic Spires' is a cultivar. The flowers have a velvety and they've got very long spikes and they flower for ages attracting bees.
- Salvia involucrata grows to about 1.5m tall. Regular pruning will encourage masses of richly-coloured flower spikes. It's a beauty for the back of a border.
- Salvia wagneriana (Wagner's Sage) comes from the high regions of Guatemala, where it's cool and moist. Most of the large-leafed salvias perform well over the south-eastern Australian winter. In summer they may get a little bit burnt and the leaves may drop but they soon reappear - they're quite resilient plants. Grows 2-3m tall.
- Salvia leucantha (Mexican Bush Sage) grows to about 1.5m tall and the same width. They're happy growing in sun or part shade. They can be a bit frost tender in their early years, so will benefit from protection until they establish.
- Pruning salvias is quite easy. You can tip prune at any time to encourage more compact growth. For example, if the colourful flowers are fading on the Salvia 'Wendy's Wish', it tells you it's time to give it a prune. Cut it back by about a third and you might even get a second flush of flowers.
- Others varieties, such as Salvia leucantha can do with a really good cut back as it tends to become quite straggly. Look for the young shoots at the bottom of the shrub and cut back to them. They plant will bounce up again, especially with an application of slow release fertiliser in spring.
- Every two to four years, especially if the Salvia clump is quite large, consider dividing the plant. Using a garden fork lever it out and then divide it into two or three pieces with a sharp spade. Tidy them all up by pruning off the twiggy bits before replanting.