Sacred Sage: Relaxing, Beautifying and Cooking with Clary Sage
Category: Sacred Salvias
Posted: Jun 17, 2013 21:36:00
Synopsis: Today, Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) is best known for its essential oil, which is used mainly in aromatherapy and is extracted from the plant’s aromatic foliage and flowers. Yet Clary, which was a favorite of the ancient Greeks and Romans, also has a long history in beauty care, cooking and healing. This article talks about all but its healing qualities, which will be covered in the second part of this series.

Blazing Red Sages for Sun and Partial Shade
Category: Everything Salvias
Posted: Jun 16, 2013 12:44:00
Synopsis: Warm colors tend to take center stage in a landscape as well as brightening the shade. Yet warm colors generally aren't associated with shady sage (Salvia) gardens, because there are far more shade-tolerant sages in the blue to purple range. So we decided to poke around our catalog and pull together some hot choices that thrive in partial shade.
To make landscaping even easier, you may want to limit your choice of plants to one color. Massing is dramatic.

Salvia Small Talk: Identifying Sages Native to Your State
Category: Salvia Small Talk
Posted: Jun 12, 2013 10:49:00
Synopsis: One of the quickest ways to identify sages (Salvia spp.) native to your state is to visit the 'State Search' page of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plants Database. Here are the steps to follow.

Salvia Small Talk: A Sage-Seed Cafeteria for Birds
Category: Salvia Small Talk
Posted: Jun 10, 2013 10:50:00
Synopsis: Deadheading spent Salvia flowers helps to prolong bloom time. However, if you enjoy the company of songbirds and game birds in your garden, let some of the flower spikes go to seed, especially at the end of the plants flowering season.

Pantone Pageant Cheerful Lemon Zest and Nectarine Designer Salvias
Category: Everything Salvias
Posted: Jun 7, 2013 10:51:00
Synopsis: Let there be light; let there be brightness. Yellows and oranges are cheerful colors to combine in a grouping of perennials. Pantone's spring 2013 designer colors -- golden yellow Lemon Zest 13-0756 and its hot orange Nectarine 16-1360 -- are fun colors to match to sages (Salvia spp.) that can turn up the light in a garden whether sunny or shady. Two groupings for sunny or shady gardens are offered

Book Review: Waterwise Gardens for Sustainable Gardens
Category: Book Reviews
Posted: Jun 6, 2013 11:24:00
Synopsis: Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden are garden designers and writers who split their time between Texas and Colorado, but their suggestions for low water, xeriscapic landscaping can benefit gardeners far from the American West, Southwest and Deep South. The authors agree with their Dutch contemporary, Piet Oudolf, that a naturalistic landscape design based on local climate -- including water limitations -- is the most sustainable choice.

Salvia Small Talk: Why Birds Love Red Flowers
Category: Salvia Small Talk
Posted: Jun 4, 2013 10:39:00
Synopsis: Color, shape and smell are characteristics that affect whether a bird or insect will dive into a flower in search of food. Whereas bees seem not to notice red at all, it is the go-to color that most birds look for at mealtime.

Pantone Pageant: Eye-Popping, Poppy Red Designer Salvias
Category: Everything Salvias
Posted: May 27, 2013 16:50:00
Synopsis: Here's a tip for Oz's Wicked Witch of the West: Pantone's spring 2013 Poppy Red is a designer color that won't make anyone sleep. It's a bright, wake-up call that is often found in the scarlet blossoms of many sages (Salvia spp.). We offer five eye-popping suggestions here for matching the Pantone Corporation's Poppy Red 17-1664.