Welcome to Flowers by the Sea, our small family farm and online nursery dedicated to growing a wide range of quality sages (Salvia) and companion plants.

We're Kermit and Vikki Carter, longtime horticulturists and farmers. Similar to a number of our plants, we are California natives. We're also deeply rooted in organic agriculture and have loved growing plants for almost longer than we can remember.

A Remarkable Climate
Our farm is located on the Mendocino County coast of Northern California where the mild, Mediterranean-style climate of USDA cold hardiness Zones 9 and 10 is ideal for growing a wide variety of Salvia from around the world.

Our sages and companion plants, such as Agastache and Kniphofia, form a United Nations of fauna, including species native to Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. All adapt well to the cool nights and just-warm-enough days on the farm, which are largely due to the moderating effect of the Pacific Ocean a few miles away.

Sustainable Beauty
Beauty and environmental sustainability are important to us at FBTS. Salvias provide both; they are hardy, long-blooming plants that require little pampering as long as they are grown in appropriate conditions. Depending on species, these conditions may range from full sun to full shade and from dry to damp soil.

We do our best to provide you with the best: It's estimated that there are about 1,000 species of Salvia, ranging from tall shrubs to short groundcovers. We grow our favorites and love so many kinds that we offer you hundreds of colorful, fragrant choices.

Guaranteeing Excellence
Doing our best means that we only ship well-developed plants -- not cuttings -- in excellent condition, ready for planting and totally free of weeds or hitchhiking pests.

On occasion, especially with large-leafed varieties, we may trim a plant's foliage to facilitate shipping, but we do it carefully. You can expect all your plants to arrive in such healthy condition that they soon develop lush, new growth.

We back up our claim to excellence by offering an unconditional, money-back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with any part of your order.

Growing Sage by the Sea
From early in the morning until late in the day, we personally tend the hundreds of species you see here in our online-only catalog. You can't grow as much Salvia as we do without growing somewhat sage about the needs and capabilities of the genus.

So if you have any questions about the plants you discover while wandering through our catalog, please contact us and we will be glad to share what we know and what we are continuing to learn about the Salvia genus.