Neither can I, because there are none! Well, they’re there, but we just can’t see them. Annual clary sage (Salvia viridis and cvs.) is such a cool plant. The colorful splash you see isn’t its flowers, which are barely noticeable. Instead, you’re noticing the colorful, incredibly long-lasting bracts that form around the flowers at the tips of the stems. Sow seeds of this plant directly in the garden in spring. The resulting plants will grow up to 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide. They prefer full sun and average garden soil. The flowering stems are great in bouquets of either fresh or dried flowers. If the plants are happy, they will self-sow, but not annoyingly. You can also collect the seeds and save them to sow next spring.

Check out the salvia page in the Fine Gardening online Plant Guide, where you’ll find links to information on 36 more spectacular salvias!

Welcome to the Fine Gardening GARDEN PHOTO OF THE DAY blog! Every weekday we post a new photo of a great garden, a spectacular plant, a stunning plant combination, or any number of other subjects. Think of it as your morning jolt of green.

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