Salvia Pruning

So, this has been a long time coming, and this is the second version. Hopefully, it's simple enough to understand.

The first point I wish to raise is that in order to prune a Salvia, you need to understand what type of Salvia you want to prune. I have broken this into the following four categories. These are not an extensive list but a guide:

1. Shrubs frost hardy: muirii, africana, lutea, canariensis.

2. Herbaceous: yangii, nemorosa, leucantha, and its hybrids.

3. Salvia microphylla/greggii: all cultivars and hybrids.

4. Shrubs Frost tender: involucrata, madarensis, dorisiana, elegans, gesneriiflora, discolour.

The next thing to consider when timing your pruning is how we treat these plants in your particular climate zone.

In frost-free or low-frost areas, the Salvias can be cut at pretty much any time without worry.

In moderate frost areas, you should leave all herbaceous and frost tender types till late winter when the worst of your frosts have passed. The remaining types can be pruned all year round.

In very cold areas, I would hold off pruning on all varieties between April and September.

Then we move on to how we prune each grouping:

1. Shrubs frost hardy - muirii, africana, lutea, canariensis: These I rarely prune apart from light shaping and the occasional hard prune every few years to rejuvenate the bush if needed.

2. Herbaceous - yangii, nemorosa, leucantha, and its hybrids: I completely cut them down to the new growth coming up from the base of the plant.

3. Salvia microphylla/greggii - all cultivars and hybrids: I do at least one hard cut back after their autumn flush of blooms, followed by light trims over the course of the year to keep them tidy. I usually wait to see new growth coming from the inside of the bush before completing my harsh cut back.

4. Shrubs Frost tender - involucrata, madarensis, dorisiana, elegans, gesneriiflora, discolour: In frost-free areas, these can be pruned however you like, whenever you like, and as hard as you like. I prune them hard in spring, almost to the ground or to the closest new growth to the ground, otherwise they grow too large. In mid-summer, a 50% prune will increase the blooms and branching on autumn-blooming varieties.

So, in summary, understand what type of Salvia you have, understand the climate of your garden, and then apply the appropriate pruning technique at the correct time to the right variety. After all that, you will rarely kill a Salvia by pruning it, so get out there, take out some frustrations, and start hacking!