Everyone knows the importance of small talk in daily life. Our Salvia Small Talk articles are quick looks at useful topics ranging from cooking with many kinds of edible sages to understanding how USDA cold hardiness zones affect planting decisions. When you “listen in” to what our Small Talk posts are saying, here are some examples of what you will “hear”:
- Helpful tips about topics such as garden planning
- Discussions of basic cultivation, including waterwise gardening
- Suggestions for dealing safely with garden pests
- Green ideas for recycling and repurposing in the garden
- Snatches of horticultural history and
- Bits of wisdom about wildlife, whether beneficial or pesky.
If you want to propose a Salvia Small Talk subject, please call or send us a message. Let's make small talk.
Posted: Sunday, March 9, 2014
Synopsis:
Pineapple Sage looks and tastes delightful in many foods, including baked goods. It's a surprising treat in herb butters and marmalade.
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Posted: Friday, March 7, 2014
Synopsis:
Flowers by the Sea recently received classification as a certified Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch. When you purchase milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) from FBTS or seed from Monarch Watch, you can grow your own waystation and help Monarchs start making a comeback from their precipitous decline of recent years.
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Posted: Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Synopsis:
Flowers by the Sea uses a customized system for shipping charges. Customized fees allow adjustment of shipping prices based on how far away you live from FBTS and how many plants you purchase. This is a more equitable way of covering delivery fees instead of increasing plant prices to cover losses on delivery charges as in a flat-rate system.
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Posted: Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Synopsis: Katydids love Salvias. Here are some photos from the University of California at Davis as well as a recording of katydids from a West Virginia naturalist.
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Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Synopsis:
Make your own deodorizer for your car with a tea infuser and herbs, such as salvia.
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Posted: Sunday, July 14, 2013
Synopsis:
Most native plant gardens encompass species native to the region or state in which a gardener lives. However, some native gardens -- such as the New England Wild Flower Society's famous Garden in the Woods -- are based on a broad variety of plants native across America.
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Posted: Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Synopsis:
Instuctions for waterwise gardening often suggest deep watering once a week and applying no more than 1 inch of water, including rainfall. For Salvia, this amounts to what we would call regular or average watering for in-ground plants. But what constitutes an inch of water?
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Posted: Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Synopsis:
Basic tools for estimating soil moisture include your hands and simple tools, such as a trowel, screwdriver and long metal rod, according to Colorado State University. The first method, which uses the metal tools, might be called the 'poke technique.' The second is the 'feel method.'
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Posted: Sunday, June 23, 2013
Synopsis:
Sprinkling is the fine, misguided art of giving your landscape a quick spray of water that moistens foliage as well as soil. This can cause foliar diseases, such as mildew, while also depriving roots of sufficient water. What a perennial needs is a long gulp applied to the ground and at the edge of its canopy or drip line
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Posted: Monday, June 10, 2013
Synopsis:
Deadheading spent Salvia flowers helps to prolong bloom time. However, if you enjoy the company of songbirds and game birds in your garden, let some of the flower spikes go to seed, especially at the end of the plant's flowering season.
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Posted: Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Synopsis:
Color, shape and smell are characteristics that affect whether a bird or insect will dive into a flower in search of food. Whereas bees seem not to notice red at all, it is the go-to color that most birds look for at mealtime.
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Posted: Monday, May 6, 2013
Synopsis:
Some kinds of Salvia flowers make good additions to foods ranging from breads to salads. Growing the Salvias yourself is a good way to avoid toxins.
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