Posted by Brent Wilson on 6/26/2016 to
Pruning Tips
With some very easy and simple snipping, many Salvia species will bloom from spring or summer all the way to frost. So, to encourage reblooming and more blooms, which will make your hummingbirds and other pollinators happy, get those pruners or scissors.
Pruning Salvia & Sages
Pruning salvias and sages is pretty straightforward.
Pruning Salvia & Sages During the Blooming Season
After the first cycle of blooms begin to fade, deadhead them with sharp pruners or scissors. Make your cut just beneath the spent flower stem.
Pruning Salvias During Winter
In warmer climates, where salvia and sage plant stems remain alive throughout the winter, to rejuvenate and create fuller plants for the coming season you can cut the stems back by one-third to one-half their height in late winter or early spring.
In colder climates, where salvia and sage plants might die back to the ground, you can cut the plant back to within just a few inches of the ground inches of the soil when the foliage dies back at the arrival of winter cold.
TIP: In the rare event your salvia and sage plants become diseased, for sterilization purposes and to prevent spread of disease, it's a good idea to dip your pruners in a solution of equal parts water and rubbing alcohol between each cut.
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