Salvia

I have bought a tray of salvia from Lidl. It has red flowers. Having googled it I am wondering if it is edible as in Sage and will I believe I can fly if I eat it.

 

Hi Galore - sadly no flying tonight!

Salvia is a huge genus with over 900 different species, though not that many are garden worthy.

The plant you have bought is most likely Salvia splendens, which is by far the most common salvia sold. The original red splendens species comes from Brazil, and can grow up to 9 feet tall. I grow some of this species but they don't make more than 5 feet in this country. However what you have will be a hybrid that has been bred over many years to be no more than about 12 inches tall. They have a very long flowering period. I have had cuttings of the species that have been in continuous flower for 12 months. They like well drained soil and are pretty tolerant of drought. Once they start to flower they should continue until the first frosts. But they won't take any frost at all. Strictly speaking they are tender perennials, but they are always sold as annuals and not worth trying to overwinter.

The culinary sage is a larger, hardy shrub called Salvia officinalis. Nearly all sages are aromatic and you can in fact cook with several of them. But I wouldn't bother with yours.

Salvia divinorum is the halucinogenic sage. Its not easy to grow and the flowers are rubbish - so its off my list.

 

Thanks PeterS. That was just brilliant. I won't google anymore. Just ask you.