How to grow scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)

Salvia splendens · bedding sage, bedding salvia

Scarlet sage (Salvia splendens) — tender bedding plant from Brazil grown as an annual, 20–75 cm tall, with spikes of tubular flowers above dark green leaves; the calyx is as brightly coloured as the petals — classic scarlet, also pink, purple, salmon or white. Scarlet sage grows best in full sun. Water it about every 7 days while it grows.

Updated: October 28, 2026

When to sow scarlet sage?

Sow for seedlings about 7 weeks before planting out.

Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.

It flowers about 54 days after the shoots appear and keeps flowering for about 120 days.

Frost dates · When to plant

Quick facts

Type	Flower
Latin name	Salvia splendens
Family	Lamiaceae
Also called	bedding sage, bedding salvia
Planted as	seed
How it is started	from seedlings
Life span	grown for one season
Planting season	spring
Light	Full sun
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 15 °C
Germination	12 days
Pricking out	14 days after the shoots appear
Seedlings ready	40 days
First flowers	54 days after the shoots appear
Flowering lasts	120 days
Grown in	Open ground, At home

How long does scarlet sage take from sowing to flowering?

From sowing to the first flowers: about 66 days, or 9 weeks.

Step	Day
Sowing	0
Shoots appear	12
Pricking out	26
Seedlings ready to plant out	52
First flowers	66
End of flowering	186

Days count from the day of sowing or planting, by the figures of the card.

Where does scarlet sage grow?

2,092 records of the plant in gardens, fields and the wild worldwide; most photos come from Brazil, United States, India, Colombia, and Germany.

World map: where scarlet sage has been recorded — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: Makoto, Kara, kyym, Thalia M. Mite, 881932368, Torba Valentin, Ong Jyh Seng, 1089887244 (CC BY / CC0).

Scarlet sage, Brazil — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: Makoto, Kara, kyym, Thalia M. Mite, 881932368, Torba Valentin, Ong Jyh Seng, 1089887244 (CC BY / CC0).

Scarlet sage care by growth stage

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 2 days	—	—
Flowering	every 2 days	—	potassium, at the start of the stage; potassium, 30 days into the stage; potassium, 60 days into the stage; potassium, 90 days into the stage

Growing notes

Light

Best in full sun; it tolerates partial shade and needs warmth.

Soil

Well-drained soil; most salvias prefer it slightly acidic. Too much water and fertiliser encourage fungal disease.

Care

Sow indoors 6–8 weeks before planting out on the surface of the mix without covering — the seed needs light — at 21–24 °C; seedlings appear in 10–15 days. Plant out after the last frost, in late spring. Work a slow-release fertiliser into the bed at planting; beds need no further feeding, while pots get a potassium-rich feed once a month until September. It is not drought-tolerant — water in dry spells, but let the soil dry a little between waterings and never keep it soggy. Many bedding cultivars have no nectar, so they do little for pollinators. Under glass watch for whitefly, spider mites, aphids and grey mould; damping-off can hit seedlings.

Pests and diseases of Scarlet sage

3 problems are recorded for scarlet sage; each has a page with symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Diseases

Grey mould

Pests

Other plants of the Lamiaceae family

Scarlet sage belongs to Lamiaceae; 11 other plants of this family have a guide here.

Plant lists it is in

What to grow on a windowsill or balcony

Part of: Garden flowers · Annual flowers from seed · Long-flowering plants · Quick-flowering annuals

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.