Salvia (Ornamental Natives)

Of the hundreds of Salvia species, many dozens are favored by horticulturists around the world. But for California gardeners who seek planting natives, the focus falls on only a handful favored for their reliable form and adaptability to garden conditions. All of these stand out for their attractive blooms, ease of care, and importance to birds, bees, and butterflies.

Low-Growing Groundcovers

Few salvias for home gardens are considered as low-growing enough to use as a conventional low groundcover. None may be walked on. Several medium-sized shrubs, however, may be used as either a groundcover or an element in a border of perennials.

• Salvia spathacea (hummingbird sage) occupies a unique niche among flowering plants. It is one of the most reliable for thriving in dry and shaded sites although it will tolerate some sun.
• Native to low-lying scrub and chaparral areas of the Coastal Range, hummingbird sage is extremely drought tolerant but looks best with moderate to light irrigation in hot months.
• Semi-evergreen, rugose (wrinkled) leaves are attractive year-round as they’re carried by elongating, horizontal stems. 
• As flowers, bracts, and calyxes fade to rusty brown, they remain attractive above sprawling foliage that spreads by underground rhizomes.
• True to its name, this salvia is a magnet for hummingbirds drawn to its purplish red whorls of bloom on erect stalks.
• Hummingbird sage requires only minimal maintenance:  Cut off old flowering stalks and pull out dry, elongating, ground-hugging stems as leaves age and die.
• Cultivars of the larger Salvia leucophylla—‘Point Sal Spreader’—and Salvia clevelandii—‘Bees’ Bliss’—may also be used as groundcovers. (See descriptions below.)

Medium Shrubs

Most of the native salvias suitable for home gardens are medium-sized shrubs. The most favored are described here. They are often used as large-scale groundcovers. All benefit from occasional summer irrigation in hot summers.

• Salvia ‘Bees’ Bliss’ is the most wide-spreading Salvia cultivar that may be used as either a groundcover or as a shrub. It spreads 6-8 ft., but rarely reaches more than 2 ft. in height, which makes it an excellent groundcover in dry sites.
  • Pale lavender-blue flowers appear prolifically on 12-18 in. stalks in spring.
  • In summer, this salvia looks best when stems are removed and when given periodic watering, although it resents overhead irrigation that may cause powdery mildew in cool climates.
  • It is considered to be a hybrid of Salvia leucophylla and an undetermined species.
• Salvia clevelandii (Cleveland sage) is sometimes planted in its native form in dry chaparral and scrub areas of the Coastal Range, but most gardeners favor one or more of the named cultivars described here that are more refined, garden friendly, and known for their reliable forms.
• All grow best in full sun, have aromatic grayish green foliage, develop a woody base after several years, and bear varying shades of purplish blooms in whorls on upright stalks.
  • ‘Winifred Gilman’ is even more compact that its parent at 2-3 ft. tall and wide but with deep maroon-red stems and calyxes and violet-blue floral tones.
  • ‘Allen Chickering’ resembles the wild Salvia clevelandiispecies form in its free-flowing structure, larger size to 5 ft. high and wide, and violet-blue flowers.
    • Like the native species, this cultivar is extremely drought-tolerant and can get by with little or no supplemental irrigation.
  • ‘Pozo Blue’ is a very drought tolerant, 3-ft. hybrid of Salvia clevelandiiand Salvia leucophylla with highly aromatic, grayish green foliage.
    • Its violet-blue flowers are one of the best magnets for hummingbirds and several species of butterflies.
  • Salvia apiana (white sage) bears distinctive silvery white, highly aromatic, evergreen foliage with a purplish tint beloved for its dramatic contrasts in the garden.
    • Sizes and shapes vary from 2-5 ft. in height and width, always improved with periodic pruning to maintain compactness and eliminate floppy stems.
      • In spring, stalks bearing white blossoms rise even higher before fading to pale pink.
      • White sage is one of the most drought-tolerant salvias for the garden, needing no supplemental water once established; however, both good air circulation and drainage are key to its success.

Large Shrubs

• Salvia leucophylla (purple or gray sage) graces sun-filled hills and slopes along the central and southern California coast, flowering for weeks in shades of pinkish purple.
  • In dry conditions, once established, it grows 4-7 ft. high and wide.
  • Given supplemental watering, it becomes larger but develops lanky stems and branches, rooting where tips touch the ground.
  • Semi-evergreen foliage in winter loses its green shade and becomes quite gray.
  • Two cultivars favored for their lower forms and pink whorls of bloom are ‘Point Sal’ and ‘Point Sal Spreader,’ both similar, but the latter demonstrates the most reliable characteristics.
    • These are used as groundcovers about 1-2 ft. high and spreading nearly 10 ft. wide.
    • Pruning is not necessary but may promote compact growth when plants are young.

 
September 2023