What a deal! Want something colorful, extremely hardy, drought and disease resistant that will make your neighbors green with envy? Salvia leucantha, or Mexican bush sage, is it!
Mexican bush sage, with its graceful, arching stems and soft, downy foliage is sure to please. The bloom time is great, as it starts to show just when your other flowers are fading from the summer heat. From late summer until frost, it is covered with long, colorful purple or blue calyxes that are a main attraction for butterflies. The flowers can be used as cut flowers any time, but they are easily dried, with the color holding up very well. Give it room at the back of your sunny bed as it grows up to five feet tall and can spread four feet across. It is advisable to prune it back in early summer to promote bushy growth. Cut it to about six inches tall after frost damage and cover with mulch or pine straw. Uncover in spring after the last threat of frost, and be amazed how quickly it will put out new shoots. This tall sage looks wonderful with red autumn sage in front and yellow Stella d'Oro daylilies finishing out the foot of your bed.
Mexican bush sage is easy to propagate from stem cuttings, so be sure to share with your envious neighbors.
Jana Bowman, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas Cooperative Extension
Annual & Perennial Flowers Index
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