Add splashes of festive red, white and green to your garden beds by filling them with salvia seedlings. These heat-loving plants are easy to grow and have a neat growth habit, which means you won’t have to spend much time tackling them with pruning shears. Compact varieties like “Fuego” and “Reddy” grow to about 30cm tall, while “Vista” reaches about 30cm, and “Lighthouse” up to 60cm tall.

Here are a few tips to ensure you get the most out of your salvias:

• Choose a sunny spot in your garden where the soil drains well. Poor drainage can cause fungal problems and yellowing leaves.
• Plant salvia seedlings 20cm apart to ensure sufficient air circulation. Fungal diseases can cause problems, so it’s good idea to spray your salvia plants with fungicide if the weather is very wet.
  
• Snails love to munch away at salvias, so it’s a good idea to put down snail bait or use organic snail bait measures such as Ferramol.
• Pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushy growth and deadhead regularly to encourage new blooms.