![]() There are multiple leaves you can cut back to on the squared-off stems of ‘Mystic Blue Spires’ salvia. I like to save some of the branches and bundle them to scent my home. The leaves of this plant are used by some Native American tribes in spiritual ceremonies, which accounts for one of its lesser-known common names-sacred sage. Sure, my fingers get a little sticky, but the fragrance is one of my all-time favorites in the garden. I very much enjoy the process of cutting this plant back. Often you will have a choice among buds along each stem, so the decision as to how much to cut back will be discretionary. ![]() apiana, Zones 7–10) from becoming too leggy, prune it back to the most robust new buds in early to mid-fall. Photo: Francesca Corra California white sage Keep part of the stem attached to use as a handle. This white sage is a perfectly formed branch cutting to save to burn indoors. My preference is to coppice it (cut it back to the ground level), as it will go winter dormant anyway, and then you will be left with mostly twigs for a while. You can deadhead this plant and then cut it back by at least half in the fall. It will even venture into pathways where, unfortunately, it must get plucked out. This sage has proven to be a voracious spreader in my garden, filling in every available space. It seems to pick up speed as other sages rest at the sidelines. It is a repeat bloomer all summer long and into the fall. guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, Zones 7–10). One of my favorite salvias is ‘Black and Blue’ blue anise sage ( S. Photo: Francesca Corra ‘Black and Blue’ blue anise sage The dramatic cobalt blue and black flowers of this blue anise sage add vivid contrast to hot-colored flowers elsewhere in the garden. Wildlife benefits from the dried flowers left on the plants, so I advocate leaving the flowers on for a while longer before pruning them back. Our maintenance needs often contradict the needs of nature, and so there is often a delicate dance going on in the garden of what to do for whose benefit. Some might prefer it sooner for a tidier look. When to pruneįall is an ideal time to do this. Another is their positive response to-at the least-an annual pruning. One thing they all have in common is their attraction to bees and hummingbirds. Sizes range from low and sprawling to 8 feet high. Flower colors range from white to purple to red to the darkest of blues. There are well over 900 species, of which California native sages comprise only about 2%. and cvs., Zones 5–11), is vast, wildly colorful, and often quite fragrant. greggii in height, though they show a range of variety in other traits.The wonderful world of salvia, or sage ( Salvia spp. It was later discovered that plants collected in 1991 by collectors from Yucca Do Nursery in Texas were also forms of Salvia × jamensis. The collectors gathered seed from nearly 30 different colors of flowers. The variously colored hybrids are collectively named Salvia × jamensis after the nearest village, Jame. microphylla were discovered in Mexico in 1991 by an English plant expedition. Other cultivars include: 'Alba', a white flowered variety 'Peach', with vivid red flowers 'Strawberries and Cream', yellow and pink. 'Desert Pastel' has pale apricot flowers with yellow streaks, and prefers mild climates. ![]() 'Cherry Chief 'blooms reliably in the humid southern United States. 'Purple Pastel' is a small variety that repeat blooms in autumn. ![]() 'Big Pink' has a large lower lip with a deep pink color and lavender tint. Popular named cultivars include 'Furman's Red', a cultivar from Texas that blooms profusely in autumn with dark red flowers. The plant is used widely in horticulture. 25 to 1 inch in length, and include many shades of scarlet and red (most common in the wild), along with rose, white, pink, lavender, apricot, and violet. Flower size and color are extremely variable. The leaves are typically mid-green and glabrous, tending to be less than 1 inch long, and with a spicy fragrance. Salvia greggii is a highly variable plant, with numerous named cultivars, reaching anywhere from 1 to 4 feet in height and less in width. Contrary to its common name, it blooms throughout the summer and autumn. It is closely related to and frequently hybridizes with Salvia microphylla. It was named and described in 1870 by botanist Asa Gray after Josiah Gregg (1806 – 1850), a merchant, explorer, naturalist, and author of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico who found and collected the plant in Texas. "Salvia greggii (Autumn sage) is a herbaceous perennial native to a long, narrow area from southwest Texas, through the Chihuahuan Desert and into the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, typically growing in rocky soils at elevations from 5,000 to 9,000 feet.
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