Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd
Salvia Violet Queen
Salvia Violet Queen
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Salvia 'Violet Queen' Seeds
If you want to bring your border to life, plant Salvia 'Violet Queen'. This hardy perennial produces dozens of erect, slender spikes packed with tiny, intense violet-purple flowers. It creates a stunning vertical accent that cuts through the soft mounds of other plants, adding essential structure and depth to your design.
But the real magic is the noise. On a sunny day, this plant literally hums. It is one of the richest sources of nectar in the garden, attracting honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies from miles around. It is tough, drought-tolerant, and if you cut it back after the first flush of flowers, it will reward you with a second wave of colour late in the autumn.
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🌿 Understanding the Plant
Salvia 'Violet Queen' is a Hardy Perennial.
It dies back to the ground in winter and re-emerges every spring, getting bigger and better each year.
The "First Year" Bonus: Unlike many perennials that make you wait, 'Violet Queen' is vigorous enough to flower in its very first summer if sown early (Jan-March).
Top Tip: The "Chelsea Chop." If the plant starts to look a bit floppy in May, you can cut the stems back by a third. This delays flowering by a couple of weeks but creates a much sturdier, bushier plant that won't need staking.
🌱 Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow
Salvia seeds are easy to handle but need light to wake up.
Germination:
Sow indoors from February to May. Surface sow onto moist compost and do not cover (or use a very fine dusting of vermiculite), as they need light to germinate. Keep warm (20°C). Germination takes 14-21 days.
Where to Sow:
It demands full sun and excellent drainage. It hates winter wet, so if you have heavy clay soil, add grit to the planting hole or grow it in a raised bed. It thrives in dry, sandy, or chalky soils.
Care While Growing:
The Second Flush: When the first purple spikes start to look brown and tired (usually July/August), shear the whole plant back hard. Water and feed it, and within a few weeks, you will have fresh green leaves and a whole new flush of purple flowers for September.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Latin Name | Salvia nemorosa / x superba |
| Common Name | Salvia 'Violet Queen' / Wood Sage |
| Hardiness | H7 (Very Hardy) |
| Light Required | Full Sun ☀️ |
| Height | ↕️ 40cm - 60cm |
| Spread | ↔️ 45cm |
| Spacing | 🌱 40cm apart |
| Great for | 🐝 Pollinators (No.1 Choice) 🏙️ Vertical Structure ✂️ Cut Flowers 🏜️ Drought Tolerance |
| Seed Count | Approx. 50 seeds per packet |
🤝 Perfect Garden Companions
The vertical purple spikes of Salvia need contrasting shapes (flat or round) and colours (yellow or orange) to really pop:
- 🟡 Achillea 'Cloth of Gold': The Perfect Contrast. The flat, horizontal yellow plates of Achillea sit perfectly against the vertical purple spikes of Salvia. It creates a classic, professional "Purple & Gold" planting scheme.
- 🍯 Rudbeckia 'Marmalade': Late Summer Drama. When the Salvia flowers for the second time in autumn, the golden-orange daisies of Rudbeckia will be in full swing. The rich purple and burnt orange combination is stunning.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Sow indoors Feb-May. Flowers June-Oct (with a trim).
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow Indoors | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | ||||||||
| Flowers | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 |
🏆 Officially Recognised Excellence
This plant is a biodiversity hero. Salvia nemorosa is listed on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list and is widely considered one of the top 10 plants for attracting bees in the UK.
