Sunset hues

Taking cuttings of half hardy salvias

by Annelise Brilli | Jul 5, 2022 | Gardening Posts

Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’ is so free-flowering it can be hard to keep up with the dead heading – but doing so will keep it blooming throughout summer
Image: Annelise Brilli

Salvias are amongst the most rewarding plants I grow and some the easiest to propagate. Having amassed a collection over the years, I’ve been busy taking cuttings of my half hardy species as an insurance against any winter losses and to rejunvenate old plants. They root very easily – so do have a go and build up your own collection of these fabulous, long-flowering perennials.

Why grow half-hardy Salvias?

Salvia ‘Pink Amistad’ is an excellent new introduction for 2022 which follows on the success of its relative ‘Amistad’. Both are easy to grow and long-flowering.
Image: Thompson & Morgan

The first time I saw Salvias I was instantly hooked. Their flowers are distinctly lustrous and jewel-like, due to the tiny, light-reflecting hairs which cover their surfaces. This lends them an extraordinary depth of colour and they excel in velvety purples, indigo and maroons. If you prefer cooler colours, there are plenty of worthwhile choices, such as the new introduction, ‘Pink Amistad’. The range of colours and habits makes them versatile plants, suitable for everything from cottage borders to tropical schemes, and they are excellent in containers too.

Salvias are remarkably floriferous
Image: Annelise Brilli

Salvias are also some of the longest flowering plants I have in my garden. Keep them well fed, watered and regularly deadheaded, and many will bloom from June/July until the first frosts. Once established, they are drought tolerant and flourish on freely draining soils, although in a very hot, dry summer they will cease flowering earlier. In which case, trim them, give them a good water and wait for a second flowering in late summer.

Salvias are a pollinator magnet and great for attracting unusual insects such as Hummingbird Hawkmoths
Image: Canva

Added to all these excellent attributes, Salvia flowers are loved by pollinating insects. Every summer I keep a keen eye on my Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’ whose sweet nectar is a favourite tipple for visiting hummingbird hawk moths. On sunny days, this day-flying moth whizzes around the garden, stopping to hover in front of the flowers, sipping the nectar with a long proboscis just like a hummingbird.

If all of this isn’t enough, Salvias also have fragrant foliage, with some, such as Salvia ‘Cerro Potosi’, being deliciously fruity.

Salvia hardiness

I’ve been testing out the hardiness of Salvias over the years and many, including more tender species such as this Salvia fulgens, have proved to be surprisingly resilient. However, taking cuttings gives me a fall-back and room to overwinter a larger variety of smaller plants as Salvias are fast-growers and can become large specimens by the end of the summer.
Image: Annelise Brilli

When I first began gardening, half-hardy salvias were rather unusual and considered a little difficult due to their tender nature. There are now a plethora of cultivars available and given sunny, well-drained soil, I have found that many of these will reliably over-winter. Salvia ‘Amistad’ will even successfully overwinter outdoors in my clay soil. However, some are short-lived and like ‘Amistad’ become woody and decline as they get older. Don’t be too quick to throw them out though – Salvias are slow into growth and can look a bit sorry for themselves in the spring. Be patient and wait until the weather warms up to start them into growth.

Leave shrubby salvias with their top growth over the winter as this will give them some protection. When they begin shooting in spring, prune them back to a low framework. I normally find that the thicker stems of Salvia ‘Amistad’ die completely – in which case just cut them right down and new growth will emerge from the base.

The most tender species will need to be over-wintered in a greenhouse. They’re good candidates for patio containers, which can be easily moved under cover at the end of the winter.

How to take Salvia cuttings

Preparation

• Regular pinching out of shoots from spring onwards will generate plenty of material for cuttings
• Avoid additional fertilising in an attempt to stimulate new growth for cuttings. This results in soft, nitrogenous shoots which do not root as well.
• Cuttings should be ‘turgid’ when they are taken – in other words, the plants cells are fully swollen with water. Try to take them first thing in the morning, preferably on a dull day. Water them well the day before if they showing any signs of water stress.

Harvesting cutting material

• Avoid soft tip growth – it wilts quickly, doesn’t root readily and produces weak plants.
• Avoid thin, weak growth and older, woody growth
• Select strong, actively-growing shoots which are still flexible but will snap when bent sharply.

Remove cutting material just above a node or leaf joint
Image: Annelise Brilli

• Look for non-flowering side shoots. If this isn’t possible, always remove the flower buds.
• When you are harvesting cutting material, cut just above a leaf node. This will leave the original plant tidy without any stubs which will die back. The material should have at least two leaf joints and be longer than the final cutting, which will be trimmed back just before insertion.
  

  Collecting cuttings in a plastic bag will protect them from moisture loss
  Image: Annelise Brilli

• Immediately place the cuttings in a plastic bag with a label
• Ideally trim and pot up cuttings straight away. If there is a delay, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Chilling cutting material assists its survival and rooting success. 

Inserting cuttings & aftercare

Using perlite in your cutting mix allows free drainage and good aeration which helps to prevent cuttings from rotting off
Image: Annelise Brilli

• Prepare pots of compost with a freely draining medium – I recommend a 50:50 mix of perlite and peat free compost.
• Trim the cuttings with a sharp knife or secateurs just below a node. The cutting can be anything from 5cm-10cm long and should have two or more leaf joints or nodes.
  

  Removing the bottom leaves reduces water loss and allows easy insertion of the cutting
  Image: Annelise Brilli

• Remove the leaves from the bottom of the cutting.
• Salvias don’t require rooting hormones as they root very easily
  

  Insert cuttings as soon as possible after collecting them
  Image: Annelise Brilli

• Insert several cuttings into each pot, label and date them
• Water them well
  

  Create a humid environment by placing the pot of cuttings in a sealed polythene bag
  Image: Annelise Brilli

• Place the cuttings inside a clear, polythene bag
• Put the cutting somewhere in good light in a cool environment – not in direct sun or a hot, greenhouse. Adequate shading is essential during summer.
• Check the cuttings regularly for moisture levels and to remove any dead leaves. Ventilate them if fungal growth is occurring.
• Cuttings should root in 3-4 weeks.
• When they are well rooted transfer them into individual pots with good quality peat-free compost. Grow on in frost-free conditions over winter, ready for planting out next spring.

Taking cuttings of salvias will rejuvenate your stocks with young vigorous plants and because they root so easily you’ll have plenty to give to friends too. Kickstart your collection by browsing our salvia plants online.

The Best Plants for July

by Annelise Brilli | Jul 1, 2022 | Gardening Posts

Star plants in July: Eupatorium atropurpureum (back), Echinacea purpurea (left), Veronicastrum virginicum (centre), Phlox paniculata (right)
Image: Canva

After June’s spurt of fresh foliage and flowers, the heat of July can begin to draw some of the vigour out of displays. Here are 5 reliable perennials which will continue to reward throughout this month.

Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’

Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’
Image: Thompson & Morgan

June is largely dominated by soft pastel colours but come July the garden palette begins to warm up. Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’ delivers a tropical punch with its fruity, burnt orange and yellow blooms set against bronze foliage. This is one of those ‘firework’ plants which has real impact in borders and containers. It certainly earns its place as it keeps blooming through to October and the flowers last for ages in a vase.

• Height & Spread: 75cm (30″) x 60cm (24″).
• Growing conditions: fertile soil in a warm, sunny spot
• Hardiness: Hardy
• Flowering season: Early summer until the first frosts

Echinacea ‘Rubinstern’

Echinacea ‘Rubinstern’ Image: Canva

Coneflowers are plants with real presence. They stand sturdily upright on unbranching stems which don’t require staking. The flowers have a pleasingly definite shape, each one crowned with a fat, spiny cone. Their strong silhouette combines well with ornamental grasses. ‘Rubinstern’ is one of the best selections, with a rich pink colour.

• Height & Spread: 90cm (36″) x 50cm (20″).
• Growing conditions: A sunny border in any freely draining soil which does not get waterlogged in the winter
• Hardiness: Hardy
• Flowering season: July to August

Diascia ‘Hopleys’

Diascia ‘Hopleys’
Image: Canva

This long flowering perennial is much underused for such a rewarding plant. All summer long, Diascia ‘Hopleys’ produces tall clouds of small, dusky pink flowers which work beautifully in the middle of a sunny, well-drained border or as a free-flowering container feature.

• Height & Spread: 90cm (36”) x 50cm (20”).
• Growing conditions: Full sun and well draining soil
• Hardiness: Hardy
• Flowering season: May to October

Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’

Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’
Image: Thompson & Morgan

This is a dahlia with real class and one of my favourites. The apricot to pink blooms of ‘Totally Tangerine’ have a distinctive luminosity in the evening sun and unlike some of the more garish dahlias, it’s a colour which works harmoniously in borders alongside other herbaceous perennials. It’s also sturdy and well branching and so makes a great specimen for a large container– try it with a contrasting violet salvia such as ‘Amistad’ surrounded by some airy Panicum elegans ‘Sprinkles’.

• Height & Spread: : 80cm (24″ to 32″) x 45cm (18″)
• Growing conditions: Full sun and freely draining soil
• Hardiness: Tender
• Flowering season: July to November

Phlox ‘Bright Eyes’

Phlox ‘Bright Eyes’
Image: Shutterstock

Phlox paint bold blocks of colour in a border like no other perennial, their domed panicles forming soft duvets of pinks and violets, providing a dreamy backdrop to other more structural perennials. Their other asset is fragrance – billowing clouds of sweet perfume which float across the summer garden. ‘Bright Eyes’ forms gorgeous drifts of pink in the middle and back of borders, each flower picked out with a darker pink eye.

• Height & Spread:  80cm (31″) x 60cm (24″).
• Growing conditions: Moist, fertile soil, in full sun or partial shade – the flowers lasting longer if given some shade. Good for clay soils.
• Hardiness: Hardy
• Flowering season: July-August

If Annelise’s July favourites have inspired you, check out our summer flowers hub page for more great ideas for brightening up your garden this summer. For more plants which are looking fabulous this month, see Looking Good on The Nursery. 

Jobs to do in the garden in July

by Annelise Brilli | Jun 30, 2022 | Gardening Posts

With borders in full swing, make sure you put your feet up and enjoy them! Image: Dreamstime

Phew! It’s July. Borders are at their peak, but growth is slowing down so you should have time to put your feet up and take some garden notes. Observe what has and hasn’t worked, plants which need dividing and gaps which need filling. Then, after rousing from your recliner to crack on with the ‘Hampton Court Hack’, reward yourself by compiling a greedy wish list of your must-have plants and seeds for next year.

Hanging Baskets and containers

Keep watering and feeding hanging baskets
Image: Canva

• In the July heat, hanging baskets and containers can dry out extremely quickly and may even need watering twice a day. Even if it rains, water often barely penetrates due to the thick mass of roots and umbrella of foliage cover so they will need a good soaking by hand.
• The constant watering will flush away nutrients, so it’s important to keep on applying a weekly high-potash feed.
• Keep on deadheading to stimulate new blooms. Pansies and petunias can begin to look straggly at this time of year, so rather than fiddling about trying to deadhead individual flowers shear them back and feed them to promote a flush of new growth and later flowers.

Hampton Court Hack

This Nepeta (catmint) has been sheared down to the ground and given the ‘Hampton Court Hack’
Image: Annelise Brilli

• By early July, some of the perennials which flowered earlier can look a bit tired. It’s time to undertake the ‘Hampton Court Hack’, so called because it coincides with the Hampton Court Flower Show. Try it out on Alchemilla mollis, straggly pansies and violas, astrantias, catmint (Nepeta), and hardy geraniums. Simply shear them right down to the ground, followed by a good soak and you’ll be rewarded with fresh new foliage and possibly a second flush of flowers.
• You can also cut back the all flowered stems of lupins, delphiniums and aquilegias (if you don’t want them to self seed).

Bearded iris

Divide congested irises this month after they have finished flowering
Image: Dreamstime

• Divide clumps of bearded iris if they are overgrown. Lift clumps and select the largest, healthiest rhizomes for replanting. Cut each fan of leaves to about 15cm (6”), then replant, firming them in well before watering.

Box Hedging

Characteristic defoliation on box hedges caused by box moth caterpillar
Image: Canva

• Box tree moth caterpillar is now widespread and can cause severe damage, even death, very quickly. Use pheromone traps to monitor populations – they can have up to 4 generations each season.  Inspect your box for the caterpillar and either pick off the caterpillars or spray with a contact insecticide if necessary. If box caterpillar is becoming a severe problem in your area, it may be wise to consider alternatives such as yew hedging.

Prune Flowering Shrubs

Early flowering shrubs such as this Philadelphus are pruned this month
Image: Canva

• Cut back the flowered growth on shrubs that bloom in early summer including Philadelphus, Weigela and Deutzia. Prune them back to strong young shoots lower down. Also remove up to a fifth of the oldest stems to near the base, rejuvenating your shrub by promoting the growth of new, young shoots.
• After flowering give Helianthemums an all-over trim with a pair of shears, reducing them to neat hummocks which are about 15cm high (6”). This needs to be done every year to promote compact, ground hugging plants which are smothered in flowers.
• With most other Mediterranean shrubs you need to be more cautious – neither Cistus purpureus or Phlomis fruticosa will tolerate much pruning – but to keep them compact you can lightly trim over the soft green shoots without going into the older, hard wood.

Watering new plants

Keep watering newly planted trees, shrubs and young plants whilst they are still getting established.

Propagation

Take lavender cuttings now
Image: Canva

• Take cuttings from tender plants such as salvias, and Mediterranean herbs like lavender, rosemary and sage, selecting non-flowering stems from the current season’s growth.
• From now until early autumn, take semi-ripe cuttings from hardy climbers, and evergreen shrubs and hedging plants, selecting growth that has begun to harden at the base.
• Continue to sow biennials, including flowers for cutting such as wallflowers and Lunaria.
• Transplant seedlings of biennials sown earlier in the year and give them a good water. Continue to water them regularly.

Summer prune wisteria

All wisterias require pruning twice a year, once in summer and again in winter
Image: Canva

• In warm areas of the UK leave this job until August to reduce the amount of regrowth. In cold climates cut back the long whippy shoots now, pruning them back to about five leaves.

Greenhouse

Pest populations multiply rapidly in hot greenhouses
Image: Canva

• Greenhouse plants are vulnerable to scorch and heat stress, so open all the vents and doors, use shading and damp down regularly.
• Put up yellow sticky cards to monitor pests and keep your eye out for infestations of red spider mite, whitefly, mealy bug and scale insects
• Greenhouse debris can harbour pests and diseases so sweep up any dead leaves and remove dead plants promptly.

Roses

Prune once flowering shrub roses after blooming
Image: Canva

• Keep deadheading your roses, cutting back faded flowers to the first leaf behind the flower.
• Pick off any leaves affected by blackspot or rust
• Lightly prune old fashioned, once-flowering shrub roses, ensuring that you don’t spoil their arching habit. Remove any dead, diseased or damaged growth. If there is congested old wood in the centre, remove one or two of these older stems.
• After flowering, prune back any unwanted or congested growth on rambling roses, tying in new replacement shoots. Prune back the remaining side shoots by two thirds.
• Keep an eye out for suckers produced below the grafting point – they are usually lighter in colour with green stems and a different number of leaflets. Rather than cutting them, dig down to expose their origin and pull the suckers off.

Lawns

Boost insect populations by letting some wildflowers bloom in the lawn
Image: Canva

• Help save pollinators and let it grow high in July! Relaxing your mowing regime and setting the blades higher will not only promote stronger growth which is more resilient to drought but will also permit short plants like daisies to flower. See Rewilding the Lawn for more information.
• If it’s hot and dry the lawn may start to look brown but resist the temptation to splurge water on it as it will simply be wasted through evaporation. Trust that underground roots will enable the grass to recover once rainfall arrives.
• Apply your last lawn feed at the beginning of this month. Leave it any later and you will promote soft green growth in the autumn which will be vulnerable to pests and winter cold.

Seed Collecting

Collecting seeds is a fun and economical way of growing plants
Image: Canva

• Go around your garden (and perhaps your neighbours!) collecting your favourite seeds from hardy annuals and biennials such as poppies, nigella, and foxgloves. Save the little sachets of silica gel which you find in numerous products and place these in an air tight container with your seeds to keep them dry.

Pond

If your pond dries out not only will it threaten the survival of pond creatures but it will also expose the liner to damaging UV rays
Image: Canva

• Ponds can quickly dry up in hot weather so keep it topped up with collected rainwater. If rainwater isn’t available, fill up an empty water butt with tap water and leave it for 24 hours, during which time the chlorine will evaporate.