Plant in full coastal sun to light shade (especially inland) in a well-draining soil and regular weekly watering. It is damaged with a frost and suffers significant damage when temperatures drop into the low 20's degrees F. Heavy pruning is recommended in late winter as this salvia develops heavy stems with age and support may also be necessary to keep flowering stems upright. The interesting flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and work well in flower arrangements, both as a fresh cut flower or dried.

Salvia confertiflora comes from southeastern Brazil. The name Salvia comes from the name used by Pliny for a plant in the genus and comes from the Latin word 'salvere' meaning "to save" in reference to the long-believed healing properties of several Sage species and its specific name means "crowded flowers" for the way the flowers are congested on the inflorescence. Besides Red Velvet Sage, it is also commonly called Sabra Spike Sage. There are many Brazilian Palestinians and it is not clear if this common name in any way has anything to do with the Palestinian exodus to Brazil after the 1982 Sabra and Shatila Massacre in Beirut. We grew this interesting large sage from 1998 until 2015. 

The information displayed on this page about Salvia confertiflora is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.