Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Pink Dawn Salvia: A Cotton-Candy Haze Before the Lavender
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Pink Dawn salvia opens a cloud of soft, cotton-candy pink flowers from deeper fuchsia buds, all on stiff, purple-tinted stems. Its well-branched spikes, 5 to 7 inches long, help it bloom a little longer than many pink salvias, and at peak the plant looks like a pink haze of spires with darker tips.
It forms an upright clump under 2 feet tall and has gone on to parent several newer salvias, a sign of how well it performs.
Pink Dawn at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Salvia 'Pink Dawn' |
| Flowers | Cotton-candy pink from fuchsia buds, on branched spikes |
| Foliage | Green, crinkled, mild sage-like scent when brushed |
| Size | 16 to 20 inches tall and wide |
| Bloom | Starts late May, peaks mid-June, moderate rebloom |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 8 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Wildlife | Excellent for bees; visited by hummingbirds; deer and rabbit resistant |
Pink spikes with purple spikes
Salvia is one of the few companions that wants exactly the same conditions as lavender: full sun, lean soil and fast drainage, with little water once settled. Pink Dawn's upright spikes echo lavender's form, and the soft pink is a gentle, romantic contrast to purple. Mix the two in drifts, or use Pink Dawn as a front-row edger for a lavender hedge.
Its timing helps fill gaps. Pink Dawn starts in late May, before most lavender opens, and peaks in mid-June alongside it. A shearing then sets up more flowers after the lavender's main bloom. Try combinations in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Soil: average and well drained. Wet, heavy winter soil is the main cause of loss.
- Water: regular the first season; very heat and drought tolerant after that.
- Shearing: when the first flush fades, cut back by about a third for another round.
- Feeding: none needed. Lean soil keeps it upright.
- Winter: reliably hardy in Michigan. Leave stems standing or cut back in fall, then clean up old growth in spring as new leaves appear.
Pairing within the salvia family
Pink Dawn looks lovely beside an icy blue or deep violet salvia, giving you a pink, blue and purple planting that blends with lavender. The leaves are aromatic, but this is an ornamental sage, not a culinary one, so leave the cooking to your kitchen herbs.
Plug tray or bare root
It is offered as a 72-cell plug tray for mass plantings and borders and as a bare root plant for a single clump. See the product pages for current availability, or the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
Will Pink Dawn rebloom?
Yes, moderately, if you shear it back after the first flush.
Do the flowers smell?
The flowers are unscented; the leaves have a mild herbal scent when brushed.
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