The summer of 2022 has been ideal for wild plant life in panhandle Florida. As August progresses towards September and the “official start of autumn”, many native wildflowers are blooming.
Some of these annuals are very showy with others being tiny and muted. All have the same purpose, production of seeds for the next year.
A few are consistent bloomers over the warm season’s entirety. Tropical sage (the local common name), Salvia coccinea (as it is known botanically), or scarlet sage (another descriptive common name) is currently offering hues contrasting with the lush green background.
Local pollinators know tropical sage as a dependable source of nutrition and visit on a regular basis during the warm seasons in panhandle Florida.
Tropical sage is native to the southeastern United States, including Florida. It may attain a height of three to four feet, but it is usually about 18 inches to two feet in height.
Its vertical trunk and branches have a vase-shaped structure. It produces strikingly rich red flowers, in most cases, during the late spring, summer, and fall seasons.
Occasionally, an example with pink or white blooms will add even more contrast to the landscape. This prized recessive genetic trait has been captured by the ornamental horticulture industry which produces named cultivars for sale to the public.
This salvia will grow well in full sun, partial shade, or full shade. Flowering performance is, however, reduced in partial and full shade.
Sometimes the genetic variation in tropical sage will produce white or pink blooms. These vibrant anomalies add to the color contrast in the local landscape.
When cultivated tropical sage prefers a moist, well-drained soil and, unlike many flowering bedding plants, is very drought tolerant. An additional benefit of this salvia is that it blooms best during the hottest summer months when other flowering plants may suffer from the heat.
If utilized in a home landscape which needs a manicured look, cut the tropical sage back at the end of the year, after it finishes flowering and when foliage begins to die, to maintain the neat landscape appearance. Although this is not necessary for good growth or survival of the plant, it keeps the garden looking groomed.
‘Lady in Red’ is a popular ornamental cultivar with deep red flowers. Rain often snaps off the flower spikes, but new ones are usually not far behind and this salvia can be propagated by seed or cuttings.
Late season blooms will be populated with a variety of native pollinators. These insects are collecting the yellow dust for use during the coming season of privation.
Hummingbirds will visit the blooms too. The distinctive shape and color offer a quick snack for those that will be migrating south in a few weeks.
After frost their seeds will lay dormant until the weather warms again and then sprout. The bloom will restart the process which has been repeated for countless millennia.
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