I just cut the bloom stalks off, not the foliage. It really works.

I did it last season (first year I ever had salvia & a friend mentioned to cut it below any buds--but it seems like that's all there is down the whole stalk....buds, so I wouldn't know where to even cut??)

I cut the stalk off totally.

So it appears I don't have to be real picky where I cut it down?

Cut to the base of the stalk, and then it puts up a new bloom stalk.

Sheila - right to the soil? I've never done that. So weird that I can't remember if mine reblooms. I think it does. I usually just cut off the spent head.

Last year I thought I had gone down to above or below where a bud was, but never to the ground for the 2nd bloom. This is so new to me I just don't remember....sigh

threelittlelight, thanks so much. I will have to go over what you said multiple times as I am only typically a rose person, the rest of the plants I know so little about.

I found this picture my friend sent me on how she cuts it.

Whoa!!!! There are a number of different ways to correctly prune Salvias depending on which kind they are. Just cutting off the spent flowers is probably the safest if you don't know what you're doing.

Nick, do you know which verienty of Salvia you have? If not, can you post a photo?

CA Kate z9, it is a Salvia nemorosa ;Caradonna' then on the bottom of the card it says, Meadow Sage

This particular variety is best just deadheading the spend blooms. The photo shown

above looks valid for this plant. If the plants start looking ratty you can cut them back to about 10 inches and let them grow back for another round of bloom in the Fall.

In your cold climate I'd leave the dead top growth all winter to give the roots protection. Then, when you see new growth in the Spring, cut them back to that.

CA Kate, so are you saying (keep in mind I only know roses) I can cut each whole stalk way down without having to be persnickety about where I actually do the cut? Thanks

Yes.

Sort of..... I wouldn't cut it back to the ground. So at least leave two or three growth points. (The photo you posted shows growth points.) I suppose you could just shear them but then you'd have dead stems sticking up above those growth points and that wouldn't look very good. If you have a 20' long row then shear them, but if you have only several plants then take the time to clip each one.

3 plants but a ton of flowers, I know....I'm lazy.

You don't cut this type of plant to the ground, just to the base of the blooming part of the stalk, exactly as Sheila said. Do the same for penstemon, snapdragons, nepeta, coneflower, and many others. They all will rebloom. Shasta Daisy needs this treatment to remove unsightly dried up blooms, but it doesn't rebloom. Diane