When to Cut Back Salvias: Prune in the Fall or Wait Until Spring?

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To me salvias are dependable, hardy plants that have both nice foliage and flowers. I grow a few perennial varieties that all do well in my garden. Understanding how and when to cut back salvias is a cinch. Giving plants a light trim or, in some cases, a heavier pruning is important for their overall health. If you don’t prune them, some salvia types can become unruly over time. Fortunately, with a little know-how, a good pair of snips, and some patience, you’ll be rewarded with fresh new growth, loads of bright salvia blooms, and the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds they invariably attract.

Salvia plants are part of the mint family (Lamiaceae). With myriad growth habits and medicinal, culinary, and ornamental uses, there are a lot of options at the garden center.

Types of salvias

Here are the types of salvias you may want to consider for your garden.

Annual salvias: UK- and North American-based gardeners grow some of the salvias which are naturally accustomed to the tropics or subtropics as annuals. For instance, due to its incredibly fragrant leaves, pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is easily the most popular salvia in this category.

Blooming from late spring through fall, anise-scented or black and blue sage (Salvia guaranitica) is another popular choice; however, it, too, is adverse to freezing temps.

Perennial salvias: Many of the salvias native to central Europe or Asia can be grown as perennials in North America. One of these is Caradonna (Salvia nemorosa). A hardy perennial, it can thrive in zones 4 through 9.

Many of the autumn sages (Salvia greggi) can thrive in zones 6 or 7 through 9. If you live in a colder area, you may be able to grow some of these hardy salvias as “tender” perennials by providing them with some added winter protection.

purple salvia — There are hundreds of different types of salvia. Knowing what you’re growing will help determine the pruning required.

Evergreen or shrubby salvias: With woody stems and often fragrant foliage, many of the Mediterranean salvias fit here. Shrubby salvias like common sage (Salvia officinalis) are similar to lavender plants in that their herbaceous growth appears on twig-like stems. While common sage is very cold-tolerant, not every shrubby or semi-woody salvia is.

This common sage plant (aka culinary sage) was planted in my garden in about 2013. It continues to thrive, though it’s gotten leggy over time.

Annual vs perennial salvias and how pruning differs

When it comes to pruning annual versus perennial salvia plants, your ultimate objectives are different. That’s why the methods and timing for pruning these plants also will differ. Unlike perennials, annuals can use just a little bit of light trimming in order to shape and influence their growth over a single growing season.

Perennials, on the other hand, require more vigorous pruning to remove the old growth from past seasons and to make way for new stems and new growth during subsequent growing seasons. What’s more, failure to prune perennial salvia plants can cause them to look increasingly leggy and unruly.

Identify which salvia you have

In part, when to cut back salvias depends on the type of salvia plants you have. Because horticulturists (and Mother Nature!) have created salvia hybrids, there are many different cultivars. For instance, the Microphyllas—literally “little leaf” sages—are some “evergreen” types that are frequently crossed with other salvias to create new varieties. As a result, you may also come across salvia hybrids like ‘Nachtvlinder’ or ‘Amistad’, which are frequently described as “semi-woody” or evergreen, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re perennials.

common sage flowers — Light trimming can encourage more growth and make plants bushier and more robust.

Here’s a good test. If in late February, March, or April, you happen to notice new shoots emerging from last year’s salvia growth, you’ve got a perennial.

But, what if your salvia plant lacks twiggy or woody stems and you fail to see new growth in early spring? It’s more likely a tropical or subtropical type that doesn’t tolerate very cold temperatures over sustained periods. So, unless you live in an area with warm winters, these plants can be treated as annuals.

Trimming vs hard pruning

Once you’re certain about which types you have in your own garden, you’ll know just when to cut back salvias for the very best results. While hard pruning is intended to renew perennials, light trimming is suitable for perennials and annuals—it encourages bushing and flowering during active growth periods. This is often referred to as Chelsea chop.

When to cut back salvias in the fall

If you have annual salvia plants that have finished flowering, you can cut them all the way back at the end of the season to keep your garden looking tidy. If your spent salvia plants are loaded with seeds though, I would recommend leaving them up a while longer to give local birds some extra food and shelter. I leave mine for the aforementioned reason, but also for winter interest.

a salvia with white flowers in the fall — Salvia plants can provide shelter for insects and seeds for the birds as they start to die back in the fall.

When to cut back salvias in the spring

How do you know when to cut back salvias in the spring? Look for new shoots on your hardy or tender perennial salvia plants. (You may start to see fresh growth starting as soon as late winter or very early spring.)

These new shoots may be growing independent of last season’s spent branches. If this is the case, simply cut the old branches off. This will allow more light and air to get to the new shoots.

Alternatively, you might see new growth coming from nodes along some of last year’s stems. If this is the case, take care to cut above each individual new growth node, so that you don’t inadvertently axe new plant stems.

a salvia plant that's been pruned — Cut back anything that doesn’t have new growth on it in the early spring.

Why you may want to summer prune salvias

Summer pruning is an ongoing task you’ll undertake so that new flowers keep coming. Let’s say you have a pollinator favorite, like Scarlet sage (Salvia coccinea) or the striking bicolor Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ (Salvia microphylla). As long as you routinely remove their spent old stems, you should be able to keep new flowers coming until the first frost hits. But if you let their flower stems dry up and go to seed? This signals to your plants that they no longer need to produce flowers.

The pruning tools and tips for success

Now that you know when to cut back salvias during spring or fall and when to lightly trim them, it’s time to talk tools. A sharp, pair of pruning shears is ideal. To sanitize them if you’ve been pruning other things, spritz their blades with a 10 percent bleach solution and dry with a soft, clean cloth.

pruning salvias in spring — The best time to prune perennial salvias is in the spring once new growth has begun.

Besides understanding when to cut back salvias, you can also help plants by:

Amending soil with compost to improve drainage and nutrient availability.
Hand-picking slugs and other pests from young salvia plants that have yet to become well-established.
Adding mulch or covering tender perennials with frost cloth for winter protection.