Flowers

How to Plant Scarlet Sage: Timing, Spacing, Care & Bloom

Quick answer

Start indoors 8 weeks before last frost (Purdue/ISU). Transplant after frost danger (Clemson/ISU). Distinct from culinary sage, mealycup sage, and Texas sage (S. coccinea).

Scarlet sage at a glance

PlantStart indoors: 8 wk before last frost; Transplant: last frost
SunFull sun and well-drained soil for best color; keep evenly moist while establishing.
SpacingSpace bedding plants for bushy mounds; pinch for density.
Days to bloomBloom season Aug.–Oct. (Purdue HO-80)
-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1LF+1+2+3
■ Start indoors   ■ Plant out   ■ Harvest
Weeks relative to last frost (LF). Colored weeks show when our ZIP planner schedules each step.
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Updated

Not culinary sage: scarlet sage is bedding Salvia splendens. See culinary sage, ornamental salvia (mealycup section), and do not confuse with S. coccinea (Texas/scarlet sage ally).

Scarlet sage flowers
Scarlet sage (Salvia splendens). Photo: Dinesh Valke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized).

Sourced from university extension guides. For dates where you live, use the ZIP planting planner.

Planting timing

Purdue HO-14-W: Scarlet Sage (Salvia) — seed 8 weeks before last frost; frost tolerance after hardening none. (Purdue HO-14-W) ISU: Red Salvia (S. splendens) — 8 weeks sowing to planting. (ISU germination table) Clemson: plant after frost danger; sow splendens indoors 6 to 8 weeks before planting time (light required). (Clemson salvia)

Depth and spacing

Do not cover seed — needs light (Clemson). Space bedding plants for bushy mounds; pinch for density.

Sun, soil and water

Full sun and well-drained soil for best color; keep evenly moist while establishing.

Care and bloom

Deadhead for continuous color. Tender — frost kills tops (Purdue: no frost tolerance after hardening).

Pests and diseases

Few problems in well-drained beds; avoid excess moisture/fertility (Clemson salvia cultural).

Related: ornamental salvia · culinary sage · ZIP planner

Frequently asked questions

When do I start seed?

8 weeks before last frost (Purdue/ISU).

When outside?

After frost danger (Clemson/ISU).

Same as cooking sage?

No — bedding S. splendens, not S. officinalis.

Sources