How to Steal Salvia Cuttings from Your Neighbor

I regularly pass by a house in my neighborhood with the perfect salvia growing in the front yard. Likely a cultivar of salvia greggii, its blossoms are the creamy apricot hue I’m forever pining after. I’ve scoured nurseries and the internet for an identification, to no avail.

I know it’s bad to covet thy neighbor. But is it really so bad to take a cutting from a neighbor’s plant? It’s not like the plant will mind. 

One day, feeling mischievous and determined, I set out on my covert operation, armed with some snips and a Ziploc bag. True, I could have knocked on the neighbor’s door and asked permission, but that would have ruined the thrill. Plus what if they were weird about it? I couldn’t risk it.

If you, too, are coveting a neighbor’s salvia, here’s how to clone it by taking a cutting. Asking permission optional.

Prepare yourself and your tools

Salvia cuttings can be taken in April, August, or September. In my case, it was September when I finally gathered the courage. 

When you are ready, you will need a pair of sharp snips to take your cutting and a plastic baggie to pop it into right away. 

Choose good material

First, make sure no one is watching. Then, assess the plant in question (hopefully it is close to the sidewalk. Please don’t climb over any fences). The ideal cutting will be a leafy, healthy stem without a flower on the end, at least 3” long. 

My neighbor’s salvia was a little scraggly in September, so it was tricky to find great material. I ended up taking three cuttings for insurance purposes.

Gently transport

The plant material will start to dry as soon as it is cut; storing it in the plastic bag slows this process, buying you more time.

My neighbor’s house was less than a minute away on foot, but I still used the bag for good measure as I scurried away.

Planting and Potting Up

Once home, remove the lower leaves from the cutting(s) and trim just below a leaf node (the slightly swollen part of the stem from which leaves grow). Leave an inch or so of bare stem to stick into some soil.

I used regular potting mix in a plastic nursery pot, but any kind of free-draining planting medium will do. Use something skinny like a toothpick to make small holes around the edges of the pot into which you can easily slip the cuttings without damaging their fragile stems. Pat the soil around them gently and water well. 

Keep your cuttings watered and protected from hot sun, wind, and severe cold. Once they show signs of new growth and you see roots peeking out the bottom, you can transplant each one to a slightly larger pot. For whatever reason, this didn’t go over well with one of mine, leaving me with two. 

I kept them outside until November, but I lost another one when the temperatures dropped, so I brought the sole survivor indoors for the winter. Good thing I took three!

Growth accelerated with the longer days of spring, and I started to feed it with a nitrogen-rich liquid fish fertilizer and harden it off again outside. By May, it was bushy and thriving and ready to go into its own planter for the summer!

Salvia Care

Easygoing salvias do well in containers. They’re great for warm, sunny spots and ask only for plenty of drainage. Though their water needs in the ground are minimal, they’ll require regular water in pots. 

When propagating from cuttings, you’re guaranteed an exact clone of the parent plant. My stolen salvia’s peachy blooms are exactly what I wanted for my balcony!

If my salvia outgrows its pot, I can always take more cuttings every year to keep it going. I can even have one ready for my neighbor, in case they read this post and come knocking on my door!