Mexican Bush Sage
Salvia leucantha
. . . for spikes of late-season lavender blooms
through first frost
Common Name: Mexican Bush Sage
Botanical Name: Salvia leucantha
Design Tip: Plant with golden Mexican mint marigold and red pineapple sage salvia for a brilliant end of season color splash in a mixed border or patio pot. For a more sedate palette, use with silver foliaged artemisia near the silverberry Elaeagnus shrub.
Form: This semi-woody perennial provides verticle structure in a mixed border.
Size: The species grow 3-5 feet tall and there is a new dwarf variety that retains a 2-3 foot height without pruning.
Flowers: White petals emerge from long-lasting purple bracts along spiked stem tips. There is also a variety with solid purple velvety blooms and a newer magenta bloomer.
Foliage: Before its late season flowers appear, the plant contributes grayish green foliage to a border.
Soil: This versatile plant adapts to a wide range of soils, including alkaline clays and acid sands.
Water: Matured specimens become very drought tolerant, but can also reside in irrigated beds with adequate drainage.
Light Exposure: Full growth is attained in full sun – the hotter the better, although it will tolerate light shade.
Hardiness: The hardiness ratings are varyingly reported between Zones 7 and 9. Although this salvia grows as an evergreen perennial in frost-free lands, the top growth dies to the ground in the Metroplex 7B Zone. In well-drained soil, it usually remains perennial for many years, but an insulating winter mulch offers more insurance.
Grooming: Pruning is not necessary in a wildling planting, although one or two summer trimmings will instigate a sturdier more compact plant with more autumn blooms.
Propagation: Plants can be multiplied from root division or by rooting softwood cuttings.
Tidbits: As its common name implies, the salvia is native to Mexico. The bloom stems make long lasting cut flowers or can be hung upside-down in a dark room for use in dried flower arrangements. Hummingbirds feed from the blooms and the plant is considered to be generally deer resistant. Its wide adaptability and resistance to insect damage makes the Salvia leucantha a superb border plant.
Cultivated, photographed and written by
Maggie Ross McNeely in Ft. Worth, Texas
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