Growing Red Hot Sally II Salvia Garden Seeds
- Taxonomy: Salvia splendens
- Other Names: Scarlet Sage
- Seed Type: Annual (perennial in optimal humid climates)
- Sow Indoors or Outdoors: Most home gardens do not have the warm, tropic conditions to sow salvia seeds directly. However, for annual blooming, start salvia seeds indoors 6 – 8 weeks before final frost. Seeds will germinate with full lighting in 14 – 21 days. Once germinated, transplant seedlings to indoor container or harden off if transplanting outside to a suitable environment. For outdoor sowing, salvia will grow as a perennial in warm, humid gardens.
- Days to Maturity: 63 - 77 days
- Hardiness Zone: 9 - 12
- Planting Depth: Plant 3 – 4 seeds ¼” deep
- Plant Spacing: 10”
- Growth Habit: 10 – 12” tall tidy upright with 8 – 10” spread covered in floret spikes
- Soil Preference: Average, evenly moist, well-drained
- Light Preference: Full sun
- Diseases/Pests/Troubleshooting: Salvia thrives in warm, humid gardens and will show signs of wilting in cooler and drier climates. Salvia plants have no serious pests or diseases.
- Color: Bright, vivid red stocks bursting from leafy greens
Most North American home gardens do not have the warm, tropic conditions to sow salvia seeds directly. However, for earliest annual blooms, start salvia Red Hot Sally II seeds indoors 6 – 8 weeks before final frost. Red Hot Sally II salvia will germinate in 14 – 21 days with full lighting and, once germinated, transplant seedlings to indoor container or “harden off” if transplanting outside to a suitable environment. For outdoor sowing, plant 3 – 4 salvia Red Hot Sally II seeds ¼” deep and 10” apart in average, evenly moist, and well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Salvia will grow as a perennial in warm, humid gardens and will show signs of wilting in cooler and drier climates. Salvia plants have no serious pests or diseases. Red Hot Sally II salvia seeds mature in as quickly as 63 – 77 days as tidy 10 – 12” tall uniform uprights with a 8 – 10” spread bursting with stunning, vivid red floret stalks.
Salvia splendens, commonly referred to as Scarlet Sage, is native to Brazil and thrives in high year-round humidity, growing naturally at elevations between 6,500 and 10,000 feet. Wild and natural salvia plants usually reach up to 48” tall, while the world's most popular and commercial varieties used as decorative bedding plants at many shopping malls usually only reach as high as 12 – 16.”