Perennial salvias make wonderful garden plants. They come in a range of colours and forms and their flowers are a magnet for bees and butterflies.
Growing to a height of around 60cm, they work well with a huge variety of plants, including those with silver foliage, and mixed herbaceous perennials such as diascias and penstemons. They thrive in full sun and free-draining soil and will flower from June until the first frosts.
While most are tender, some shrubby salvias are hardy and can be overwintered outside if growing in free-draining soil. In colder regions, or if you’re growing more tender varieties, you can dig up the plants and overwinter them under cover. Alternatively, take summer cuttings to insure against winter losses.
What to Plant with Salvias The Best Companion Plants for Gorgeous Garden Displays
With their vibrant tubular blooms on tall spiky stems, salvias bring stunning beauty to summer gardens. The perfect plants for full sun locations, salvias come in a rainbow of flower colors like purple, pink, red, white and blue. And they attract pollinators while being low maintenance. But what are the best companion plants to grow with salvias for fabulous plant combinations?
Certain perennials, annuals and shrubs make ideal planting partners for salvias by complementing their texture, color and growth habit. Plus some plants have similar cultural requirements, making them easier to care for together. Follow these companion planting tips to create salvia displays with greater visual impact and increased pollinator power.
Best Perennial Companion Plants for Salvias
Many perennial flowers thrive in the same conditions as salvias and pair beautifully in beds, borders or containers. Some top perennial pairings include:
Catmint (Nepeta) – With a similar delicate texture and purple blooms, catmint intermingles nicely with salvias. Underplant catmint around bushy clumps of salvias.
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) – The bold daisy-like blooms of blanket flower contrast nicely with the wispy spikes of salvias for colorful harmony,
Coneflower (Echinacea) – Bright coneflower blooms surrounded by airy salvia flowers creates vibrant interest. They both attract butterflies.
Yarrow (Achillea) – Feathery yarrow flowers in soft hues compliment vibrantly colored salvias nicely for varied texture.
Ornamental Grasses – Mix salvias with upright grasses like maiden grass fountain grass or Mexican feather grass for height and movement.
Lavender – With comparable cultural needs, lavender and salvias combine beautifully. Purple varieties make a pretty pairing.
Best Annuals to Plant with Salvias
Some great annuals to interplant with salvias for continuous color include:
Zinnias – Plant shorter zinnias like ‘Zowie!’ in front of taller upright salvias for a lovely layered look that pollinators love.
Marigolds – Combine the bold marigold flowers with wispy red or purple salvias for delightful contrast.
Cosmos – Let airy cosmos spill over and around salvias for softness and complementary colors like white cosmos with blue salvia.
Verbena – Mix low growing verbena in with salvias for a cohesive blend of bright flower colors.
Petunias – Mounding petunias in coordinating colors planted at the base of salvias adds fullness.
Best Shrubs & Vines to Pair with Salvias
Some nice woody plants for accenting herbaceous salvias include:
Spirea – ‘Magic Carpet’ spirea complements purple and pink salvias with its pink blooms and yellow foliage.
Weigela – Plant the colorful spring blooms of weigela behind later-blooming salvias for extended interest.
Russian Sage – With comparable cool blue flower tones, Russian sage and blue salvias make an appealing combination.
Clematis Vine – Let a clematis vine climb up a trellis rising behind salvias for vertical interest and color.
Best Companion Plants for Container Grown Salvias
For containers, select companion plants that match the growth habit of salvias. Go for these combinations:
Rosemary – Upright rosemary planted around columnar Ghent salvias makes an attractive thriller-filler combo for pots.
Fountain Grass – The arching leaves and pink plumes of fountain grass contrast the vertical form of salvias beautifully.
Coleus – Choose coleus with colorful leaves like red or purple for complementary colors to pair with blue and purple salvias.
Lantana – Mix trailing lantana around the edges of container plantings anchored by taller salvias for full, lush texture.
Petunias – Let trailing petunias spill over pot rims while upright salvias add height for visual appeal and pollinator power.
Companion Planting Tips for Salvias
Follow these simple tips for successfully planting companions with salvias:
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Select locations with full sun and well-drained soil since salvias dislike wet feet.
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Space plants 18-24 inches apart to allow ample room to grow.
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Water new plantings regularly the first year to establish deep roots. Mature plants are drought tolerant.
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Combine early, mid and late season bloomers for continuous color.
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Deadhead spent salvia blooms to encourage reblooming into fall.
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Cut back salvias by half in late fall to protect from winter cold. Apply mulch.
With their vertical form and bountiful flowers on display over many months, salvias allow plenty of opportunity for combining with other plants in pleasing ways. Choosing companion plants with contrasting shapes, textures and colors that also share similar growing preferences results in stunning salvia displays your whole garden will enjoy.
Perennials To Plant With Salvia
Salvia is a low-maintenance perennial, and featuring it among other perennials makes for a full-looking landscape that returns year after year without much work. Easy-care plants like coneflowers, lupines, and dianthus are a good match. The large blooms of coneflowers contrast nicely against the small salvia flowers while supporting butterflies and other pollinators. Catmint is another perennial with a similar look to salvia and similar care needs, making it an excellent option to include in a mixed planting.
Best Companion Plants For Salvia in Containers
Autumn stonecrop or sedum makes for a wonderful companion in a container with salvia. The thick, succulent foliage of sedum has a very different look from the thin, slightly textured salvia leaves. Plant the taller salvia in the middle of a container and surround it with the shorter sedum for a tiered planting. Position the container in full sun so all of the plants thrive.
Planting the Most Beautiful Clematis & Salvia! // Garden Answer
FAQ
What not to plant with salvias in pots?
Impatiens and coral bells are plants that do not work well in a shared space with salvia. The care needs of these plants are too different from salvia, so the conditions that make one plant thrive would be detrimental to the others.
Where is the best place to plant salvias?
All salvias thrive in full sun and are ideally placed in a south-facing aspect. Mine start to bloom in May and continue to do so until the first frost. One of the best things about them is that they are very easy to grow and, so long as they have a sunny spot, they can tolerate drought and poor quality soil.
Do salvias like full sun or partial sun?
Most salvias prefer full sun and well-drained soils, but some will bloom well in part shade. Once established, most salvia species are quite drought-tolerant and require little care. Excessive water and fertilizer can increase fungal disease problems for salvias. Most salvias prefer slightly acidic soils.
How close together do you plant salvias?
Keep each salvia plant spaced about 1ft-3ft, depending on variety, to allow enough room for future growth. Salvia plants thrive in full sun, although some light-flowering varieties do well with part sun as well. Full sun is classified as six hours or more per day.