A PLANT loved by landscapers and novice gardeners alike for its colour and structure, the salvia is the Horticultural Trades Association’s Plant of the Month for July.

Available in both annual and perennial varieties, the salvia is a member of the sage family and comes in red, cream, purple and pink.

The intense flower colours of hardy salvias make them suitable for creating a focal point in borders. Salvias are long flowering, with the potential to put on a great show through much of the summer and into autumn. Remove the flower spikes as soon as they have faded – you can often enjoy a second flush of flowers in October.

Grow them in full sun in welldrained and moderately fertile soil. Deadhead any flowers and trim in late spring any shoots that spoil symmetry. Good Varieties include Salvia ‘Hot Lips’, S. nemerosa ‘Ostfriesland’ and the dark indigo S. x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’.