Trimming the flowers causes the salvia to bloom a second time. Normal salvia blooms are colorful, so you can easily see when bright blue or violet flowers begin fading.
Rosette-type salvia plants grow stems out of a circle of leaves close to the ground. Tall flower spikes form on these stems. Rosette salvia plants include Woodland Sage, Caradonna, and May Night Sage.
After trimming the stalks, only the leaves and possibly a small amount of stalk should remain. Be sure to take out any dead plant material you notice, since it can prevent light from reaching the bottom of the plant.
You can also cover the plant with fleece or leaf-filled garbage bags and a tarp. Weigh these items down to keep them in place. The first frost happens around fall when the temperatures drop below 32 °F (0 °C).
Deciduous herbaceous salvia are shrub-like plants with soft stems, so they can rot and decay if you aren’t careful. This type of salvia is typically a perennial that fades in winter, so pay extra attention to the plant during the fall. Some examples of this type of salvia are Mexican Bush Sage, Nekan, and Pineapple Sage.
Since this type of salvia grows quickly, it may produce a second round of blooms before winter.
Cut the plant at this time so it looks pleasant and stays within its growing area. Taking out old growth in the middle of the shrub provides room for new shoots and flowers.
The last frost varies depending on where you live. It happens at the end of winter, when the temperature goes below 32 °F (0 °C) for the last time.
Throw the flower away so it doesn’t rot in nearby soil.
This type of salvia is a shrub which can grow hard stems. Trimming the stems helps prevent woody growth. Autumn Sage is a very common woody sage. A few others are Hot Lips Sage and Orange Mountain Sage.
Leave the remaining stems about 3 to 6 in (7. 6 to 15. 2 cm) long. You can do this to sculpt the salvia as well as let light into its center.
If you don’t cut the stems during this time, they will harden and appear ragged. Cut the bush even if it is still green.
You should trim the plant at least once in fall, but consider doing it whenever you notice the bush becoming overgrown. Evergreen salvia plants are often used as sculpted hedges because they have hard stems and stay green all year.
Avoid pruning the branches far back during the fall, since it can spur new growth that won’t survive the winter.
Cut off any branches that are tangled or too close together. Continue looking for and trimming away any signs of damage.
Although winter is the ideal time for this sort of pruning, if the salvia bush is in bad condition, you may need to take care of it right away. You can remove up to ⅓ of the branches. Thinning out the middle of the bush is important, but avoid removing too many branches. If the salvia is heavily damaged, you may need to cut it down further until it is 12 to 18 in (30 to 46 cm) in size.
