Newspaper Page Text
Page 3B
May 16, 2018
^Reporter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Give scarlet sage a place in your garden
Brilliant red scarlet sage gives a garden beauty by its own
blossoms and by bringing birds and buttlerflies into the gar
den for its nectar. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
ow that spring
is in full swing,
Monroe County
gardeners are
diligently working to create
attractive gardens around
their homes. In recent years
many local residents have
been adding plants to their
home landscapes that are
both attractive and have
value to their wildlife
neighbors.
A couple of springs
ago, my wife and I
decided to plant a
native salvia named
scarlet sage (Salvia
coccinea). To say the
least, it has quickly
become one of our
garden favorites.
Since then we have
enjoyed its scarlet red
trumpet-shaped blossoms
and the birds and butter
flies it attracts from sum
mer into autumn.
Scarlet sage is one of
some 900 species of salvias
found around the globe.
Since there are so many
different varieties of sal
vias, it is easy to get them
confused, especially when
many share the same com
mon names. Take scarlet
sage, for example. It is also
called Texas sage, hum
mingbird sage, red salvia,
blood salvia and tropical
sage. In addition, another
very different species of sal
via named Salvia splendens
is known to many as scarlet
sage. Since I am not famil
iar with Salvia splendens, I
cannot attest to its merits as
an ornamental or wildlife
food plant.
Several cultivars of scarlet
sage have been devel
oped. One
of these,
named Lady
in Red, has
proven to be
a humming
bird favorite.
At times,
it is easier
to find at
nurseries
than scarlet
sage.
We have planted scarlet
sage in large containers
and gardens alike; it has
performed well in both set
tings. It prefers full sun and
grows best when the soil is
kept moist. The plants grow
two to three feet tall and up
to two feet wide.
Depending on where in
the country it is grown, it
is planted as a perennial or
annual. Locally it is grown
as an annual.
The leaves are triangular
to heart-shaped and hairy.
The flowers appear on a 10
to 12-inch stalk. The plants
red, inch-long tubular
shaped flowers appear
along this stalk.
In the past, we have
grown our scarlet sage from
seed. However, it can also
be transplanted. One thing
we like about scarlet sage is
that it readily reseeds itself.
However, this past win
ter, the scarlet sage seeds
naturally strewn across our
flowerbed were fooled by
the spring-like weather that
arrived in February. At that
time we noticed the un
seasonably warm weather
prompted scarlet sage seeds
to sprout prematurely.
Then, as we feared, as soon
as frigid winter weather re
turned, the tender seedlings
were killed. For weeks now,
we have been vainly search
ing for new seedlings.
However, one of the
plants that was growing in a
planter sitting on our deck
near the house is sprout
ing. Obviously, overwin
tering close to the house
prevented its roots from
succumbing to the frigid
winter cold.
As soon as the first flow
ers appear on scarlet sage
plants, rubythroats begin
descending on the plants’
nectar-laden, colorful
flowers. Although the hum
mers feed at the blossoms
throughout the entire day,
they are especially active
around the plants in the
morning when nectar flow
is greater than it is at any
other time of the day.
One thing we have
enjoyed is looking down
on the birds as they feed.
This was possible because
we planted a bed of scarlet
sage along the edge of the
deck. This permitted us to
lean over and watch the
tiny birds dip their bills into
blossom after blossom just
a few feet away.
On countless occasions,
I have watched hummers
thrust their bills into a
blossom only to have the
bloom fall to the ground.
This never seems to deter a
bird from quickly turning
its attention to sampling a
nearby flower.
The butterfly we have
seen most often visiting
scarlet sage is the cloud
less sulphur. Although
cloudless sulphurs visit the
blossoms throughout the
summer, they are par
ticularly common in fall
as they are migrating or
preparing for migrating.
Other nectar feeders,
such as bees, also compete
with butterflies and hum
mingbirds for the plant’s
nectar.
In addition, scarlet sage
seeds are eaten by a num
ber of songbirds, such as
sparrows and American
goldfinches. Birds will
dine on scarlet sage seeds
before they ever fall to the
ground. And, long after
the plants have withered
and died, small birds
forage for the tiny, dark,
nutritious seeds hidden in
the plant litter.
I am certain that if you
dedicate a patch of ground
to scarlet sage this summer,
the beautiful native plant
will become one of your
garden favorites, too.
Terry Johnson is retired
Program Manager of the
Georgia Nongame-Endan
gered Wildlife Program. He
has written the informative
column ‘Monroe Outdoors’
for the Reporter for many
years. Email him at tjwood-
duck@bellsouth.net.
TERRY W. JOHNSON
MP celebrates Sweet 16 tennis teams
Emma Cantrell -- Most Improved Player Jordan Carr -- Team Player Award
Award
Madeline Copeland -- Team Spirit Award
Reagan Dorrity -- Rookie of the Year
Award
Jackie Gore -- Headliner Award
Tanner Lee -- Most Improved Player
Award
Isabelle McCaskill -- Top Academic Seth Smith -- Coaches Award
Award
TRACK DOGS
Continued from Front
All seven MP points
were tallied by freshman
distance runner Justin
Wachtel, who placed third
in AAAA in the 3,200 me
ters with a time of 9 min
utes, 36 seconds. Marist’s
Leif Anderson was the
3,200-meter champion
with a time of 9 minutes,
26 seconds. Wachtel also
placed eighth in AAAA
in the 1,600 meters with
a time of 4 minutes, 28
seconds.
One other MP boys
athlete, Condarius Alford,
competed at state but
failed to score points.
Alford placed 10th in the
hugh jump with a leap of
6 feet.
The 21st-place team fin
ish was the Bulldogs’ best
state result since a 10th-
place finish in 2013.
Meanwhile, the MP girls
track squad failed to score
any points at the AAAA
State Championship Meet
after finishing in the Top
10 in each of the past
two seasons. Chapel Hill
was the girls meet cham
pion with 72.5 points.
Woodward Academy was
the runner-up with 52.5
points followed by Marist
in third place with 51
points.
Two MP girls athletes
competed at state but
failed to score points.
Cheyla Tafolla placed in
a tie for 13th in the pole
vault with a vault of 7 feet,
6 inches, while Precious
Gaines placed 13th in the
shot put with a heave of
32 feet, 9 inches.
It was the first time the
Lady Dogs were shut out
at state since 2013. MP
had finished in the Top
14 in each of the last four
seasons.
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