Use a well-drained starting mix, *barely* cover the seeds with mix, vermiculite, or fine grit. Light helps germination. Don't overwater the seedlings; most salvia grow best on the dry side.

I wouldn't start them anytime soon. Here in zone 7, I don't start most bedding salvia until March.

Steven

Hi Stuffer: I winter sowed Salvias with great success and ease. Check out the Winter Sowing forum here at Garden Web and read the FAQ's. I will be doing mine again this week!!

I am in the northeast and last year i wintersowed Salvia farinacea and Salvia Black and Blue with success. i haven't started my salvias yet this year. Will probably do them in a week or two.

penny

Me too...wintersowed S. farinacea and S. coccinea and did some more this year :) I didn't cover my seeds at all; just tamped the seed firmly.

Vera

i just finished wintersowing some of my S. Coccinea, Pineapple Sage, Azurea and El Cielo Blue. I am saving enough seed to also sow a little later in order to stagger the germination.

Penny

I would like to add, that starting salvia splendens using minimal moisture is good, but once they start to grow, make sure you give them adequate water. The root ball expands rapidly and the large leaves dehydrates the plant in no time if you are not careful. This will lead to leaf drop. I recommend that you have larger pots available and transplant into these as soon as 2-4 sets of true leaves have developped. At this time, I like to use regular potting soil, rather than seed starting mixes to avoid rapid drying. Finally, do not be in too big a hurry to transplant outdoors as they hate cold soil. For the same reason, you can start these seeds later than most (e.g. 4 weeks before you put the rest of the seedlings outdoors)

Hey all -

Does anyone know how long it takes to germinate salvia "Blue Veronica"?

Here's my problem - I started 13 little peat pots with seeds I just collected from last year's plants. Each pot has about 10 seeds in it in case some aren't viable. They are exposed to light and kept lightly moist with dilute chamomile tea.

Two days after I sprinkled them, one of them germinated. But it's been 10 days now and none of the other ones show any signs of starting! How long should I wait before I go out and buy commercial seed?

Thanks!