Salvia leucophylla - Purple Sage

Salvia leucophylla  - Purple Sage

Pot size: 1 gallon

Purple sage is a beautiful native evergreen shrub with whorls of purple flowers with a strong scent that occurs in the wild in the hot dry hillsides and gravely soils of the southern coast ranges from Santa Barbara to Orange County. Purple sage has leaves that are grey-green tomentose (kinda fuzzy grey) and, with its whorls of pale purple flowers, it is a pleasant sight on the dry hillsides. It grows as far north as San Francisco Bay but more sparsely.

Size: 3’ to 4’ tall; 3' to 10' wide. Light: Full Sun 
Soil: Well-drained soil but can tolerate poor soils
Water: Drought tolerant once established, during the first year water once or twice a month.    
Bloom: Blooms in mid-spring to early summer. The many flowers open gradually on an 6-8 inch inflorescence, the stem of which is usually pinkish purple and adds to the color pinkish purple flowers. Leaves are apple-green in the spring and become greyer and whiter as the season gets hotter.  
Other notes: Tough, easy to grow and looks good year round. It attracts bees, butterflies and a variety of birds. Deer resistant. Aromatic blossoms on very attractive stems. Fairly pest and disease free.
Uses: Groundcover (leaves that touch the ground often root and increase the width of the plant). Attracts a variety of birds and insects.

Plants donated by: Sierra Azul Nursery