Garden and Flowers

‘Flag-at-the-masthead’ might be an appropriate name for Salvia viridis. The blue, pink, or white foliage formed at the top of the plant obviously shares the function of flowers in attracting insects. The latter are happy to respond, but are obliged to drop down a level to enjoy the nectar, as the labiate flowers are borne lower down the stems. These are not very striking.

Salvias can give keen gardeners a lot of enjoyment. They are easy to grow from seed. Sow or plant them in groups to create patches of color in a border. The plants begin to acquire color at a height of about 12 in and continue to grow throughout the summer - up to 30 in. They form a magnificent backdrop to other summer-flowering plants, but only to the extent that the colors go well together. Sow indoors in March or early April or - even better - directly in the garden from mid-April. The plants provide color in the garden between July and October. There are many names of cultivars for plants that look almost identical. There is a choice of blue, pink, or white little flags, Salvia viridis ‘Blue Bird’ and Salvia viridis ‘Blue Monday’ are purplish blue, Salvia viridis ‘Pink Gem’ is pink, and Salvia viridis ‘White Swan’ has white leaves with green venation at the top.