Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Speaking not just for Texas but for the rest of the country, its hot! We are on the edge of August and everyone, even the Salvia greggii (Autumn sage) are tired of the heat. 

When you plant flowers in Texas you can't pretend that you don't live in the oven of the country. There are go-to plants we Texans rely on to get us through the summers that can sometimes challenge our comprehension of how extreme conditions can become. This year in Texas we have had, what some in the agricultural industry would consider, a catastrophic drought. This combined with the heat has resulted in all living organisms to use every trick in the trade to stay alive.

What we suspect might be happening to your Salvias, is happening to all sorts of plants in the South right now. They are shedding their leaves, trying to conserve water. Even if you are watering your Salvias more than usual, it is just too hot to keep them fluffy and green. Salvia greggii can take times of drought, they don't need or want a lot of water. They want soil that drains well and if that isn't the case, and you have increased watering, they might be reacting to the soil staying too wet. This can turn the leaves light yellow. If your pots are in full sun with western exposure your Salvias might be getting sunburned, which would give your leaves a darker yellow, to brown coloring. If the soil is depleted of nitrogen, then this too can cause the leaves to turn yellow. If just the tips of the leaves are effected, then, that might be a potassium deficiency. We wouldn't recommend adding fertilizer to the plants. Salvias typically are not fussy and it is too hot for water soluble fertilizer anyway. If you suspect that your soil isn't very good then try to amend that soil with a top coat of seasoned compost. People don't think about using compost in pots, but frequently it is the soil in planters that need the most help. 

Salvias do respond well to a mid summer cut back. So lets say your pots are in partial shade to rule out sunburn, you have well drained soil and the soil is having a chance to dry out between waterings, and you are not watering in the heat of the day ( this would result in steaming your greggii to death ). Lets say you and your Salvia greggii have a mutual understanding that you are a good caregiver and they have a will to live. If all of these conditions are in place, then you can give your plants a good haircut. You don't have to be too careful about where you cut back and if the plants are large, you can even use a sharp set of garden shears. Cut the plants back one-third of their size and you should see a visible improvement in leaf color and abundance. If you are worried about one or more of the conditions listed above try to correct the issue and see if that doesn't cheer your plants up. Do not cut it back if you are unsure about whether or not they are happy. If the plants are stressed from overwatering and you cut them back, they might just die all together.

This summer is tough and you may have to wait for conditions to improve before you mess with your plants. It wouldn't hurt to move them into a little more shade, if possible. Salvia greggii is a sun loving plant but right now this sun is mean and even the die hard sun lovers are scared of it.