Salvia subrotunda (giant Brazilian sage)

Japanese name: サルビア スブロツンダ
Scientific name: Salvia subrotunda

[Overview]
A short-lived perennial 0.9–1.8 m tall.
In regions where it dies back in winter cold, it is treated as an annual.
The leaves are simple and opposite, ovate-cordate, with serrated margins.
Verticillasters at the stem tips bear red to orange lipped flowers, with a white blotch on the lower lip.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
Germination requires a temperature of about 20°C, so sow from late April onward when temperatures rise.
The seeds need light to germinate, so sow in seed-sowing soil without covering them with soil, and water from the bottom so the soil does not dry out.
It can overwinter if not exposed to frost or freezing.
If freezing is a concern, provide protection such as spreading straw around the base for plants in the ground, and bring potted plants indoors.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile, slightly acidic soil.
With poor sunlight it can become leggy and weak, and flowering is poorer.
Water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
If it runs short of water, the flowers and leaves drop, but if the soil is too wet, the roots rot.
Except in midsummer, apply slow-release fertilizer once a month, or liquid fertilizer once every week to 10 days.
There are no particular pests or diseases, but aphids, spider mites and cutworms may appear.

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