How to Grow Texas Sage Flowers in Your Garden (2024)

Salvia coccinea brightens up gardens with tall spikes of brilliant red flowers. Hummingbirds and butterflies flock to these nectar-filled flowers, but pesky deer and rabbits leave the plants alone. In warm zones, Texas sage is a perennial; in colder zones, it’s treated as an annual. No matter where you live, you’ll enjoy this plant’s easy-to-maintain habit. Here, I’ll take you through everything you need to know about growing and caring for Texas Sage at home, including planting, soil considerations, light preferences, feeding, pruning, and over-winter care.

How to Grow Texas Sage – Key Takeaways:

How to Grow Texas Sage

Choosing a Location

Texas sage works well both as a container plant and a garden plant.

Try clumping a few plants together for a big burst of color in a garden bed. Or you can plant a line of plants for a stunning border.

Due to its ability to attract lots of butterflies and hummingbirds, it’s a great addition to a pollinator garden.

When choosing a location, the most important thing to check for is good drainage. Make sure soil is well-drained, and containers have drainage holes.

What are the Best Times of Year to Plant?

Like with many herbaceous plants, the best time to plant Texas sage is in the spring or fall. If you live in an area that receives frosts, you should plant in the spring.

If you are planting in the spring, ensure the danger of frost has passed. Similarly, ensure fall-planted transplants have time to establish robust root systems before days turn dark and cold.

Growing From Seed vs. Transplanting

Texas sage is easy to grow from seed or transplants. Seeds are the less expensive option, but transplants are quicker.

If you live in a frost-prone area, start seeds a month or two before the last frost date. When the seedlings are large enough to plant, temperatures will be warm.

If you want to purchase transplants, wait until the danger of frost has passed.

What to Do Before Planting

Before you plant scarlet sage, check the soil and see if it is wet or compacted. If the area seems wet, choose another location.

If the soil is heavy in clay, consider adding some sand or perlite to increase drainage.

You should also make sure the plant has enough room to grow. Remember that they can grow over two feet wide.

Best Soil Types

Scarlet sage thrives in sandy, well-drained soil. It can also tolerate loam and clay soils as long as they are well-drained.

If you notice your soil seems to hold onto moisture, mix in some sand or perlite to increase drainage.

Aim for a soil-neutral or slightly acidic soil pH.

How to Plant

If planting transplants, dig a hole slightly larger than the plant’s root ball. Place the root ball in the hole and cover it with soil. Gently pack and water well.

Light Preferences

These plants prefer at least eight hours of bright sun each day.

They can survive in part-shade, but they will produce fewer flowers when they are planted in shady areas.

Temperature & Humidity Preferences

Scarlet sage prefers temperatures between 60-85ºF during the summer. It can handle cooler temperatures in the winter but will not survive frost.

These plants can tolerate both dry and humid air.

How to Care for Texas Sage

Watering

Salvia coccinea is drought-tolerant and can handle dry periods. However, it will not flower with a lack of water.

During hot and dry summers, water thoroughly about once every two weeks. When temperatures are cooler, you only need to water about once every three weeks.

Fertilizing

While plants can grow without fertilizer, added nutrients will boost overall health and the number of flowers.

Apply a fertilizer designed for flowering plants in the late spring and again midsummer.

Pruning

Regular pruning will keep Texas sage plants looking tidy.

During the summer, remove any dead branches and flower stalks. You can remove them by gently pulling dead material until it dislodges. Alternatively, you can cut the stems near their base.

Pruning your plant during the early spring will keep it healthy and full of flowers. During March or April, cut back the flower stalks until they are a few inches tall.

Propagation

Scarlet sage is easy to propagate by both seed, division, and stem cuttings.

Seed

Plants readily produce seeds that can be planted to produce new plants. To collect these seeds, place wilting flowers in a bag. Shake the bag to separate the seeds from the flower.

If you are producing transplants for an area that experiences frost, start seeds indoors about two months before the last frost date. Once the chance of frost has passed, plant the seedlings outdoors.

Division

Division is a great way to separate large plants from planting salvia in multiple areas. Follow these steps to propagate scarlet sage via division.

1. Dig up a mature plant; you may need to cut back the foliage first.
2. Use a trowel or knife to separate the roots and stems into sections.
3. Immediately plant each section or wrap in wet paper for up to two days.

Stem Cuttings

One more way to propagate scarlet sage is via stem cuttings. This is a great way to propagate hybrid varieties since their seeds do not produce plants identical to the parent.

First, cut a piece of stem 5-8 inches long. Remove all leaves from the bottom 2-3 inches.

Place the cutting in a glass of water, then place the glass in an area where it receives indirect light. Make sure no leaves are submerged in the water.

After a few weeks, you should see roots form. When the roots are 1/2 inch long, you may plant the cuttings in soil.

Overwintering

Texas sage plants can survive the winter unprotected in zones 8-11.

If you have a potted plant and live in an area that receives frosts, it’s best to bring it indoors during the winter.

Place the plant in an area that receives bright or indirect light. Avoid placing it in a very warm place, as this could cause shock.

Texas sage plants may survive light frosts if you cover them with frost cloth. However, heavy frosts will kill the plants.

Repotting

If you’re growing Texas sage in containers, you must repot plants every few years.

To repot, remove the plant from the container and dust off excess soil from the root ball. Add a few inches of new potting soil to the container, and then add the plant. Fill the remainder of the container with potting soil and water well.

Deadheading

Deadheading flowers isn’t necessary, but it can help continue the production of new flowers.

You can remove entire flower stalks when all of the flowers are done blooming.

Common Texas Sage Problems

Salvia coccinea is quite a hardy plant. It can withstand periods of drought and is resistant to deer and rabbit damage. With that said, you should watch for the following problems.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungus that coats plants with a white powder. In extreme cases, it can kill leaves and flowers.

Texas sage is more susceptible to powdery mildew when the weather is cool and wet.

To prevent powdery mildew, leave space between plants. This will allow airflow and discourage fungi.

Yellowing Leaves

If you notice leaves turning yellow, water is likely to blame. Your job is to determine if your plant is receiving too much or not enough water.

Remember that Texas sage can withstand periods of drought, so you don’t need to water every day or week. However, you should water your plant every few weeks during times of drought.

Sap Sucking Pests

While Salvia coccinea isn’t often impacted by common garden pests, it can become affected by sap-sucking pests. These include aphids, thrips, and spider mites.

If you notice these pests, remove them with a soapy cloth or spray from a hose. You can also release beneficial insects such as ladybugs and green lacewings.

Texas sage doesn’t require too many specialized tools, but the following items will be useful:

• Soaker hose or watering can
• Pruning shears
• Perlite or sand
• Soil probe or moisture meter
• Mulch, compost, or slow-release fertilizer pellets

FAQs:

Wrapping Up

Texas Sage is a very rewarding plant that produces stunning red blooms with the right care and attention. These beauties are great for attracting pollinators to the garden and also have the benefit of being deer and rabbit resistant. Enjoy!