Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) is a beautiful, hardy plant for Alta California.
This downy, bushy, evergreen subshrub produces white or purple flowers clasped by soft purple calyces from late summer to frost. It grows 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide, and is great for the border. Salvias are some of the showiest plants for containers, annual borders, and mixed borders. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them.
Care: Provide moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade.
Propagation: Sow seed, or divide plants, in spring. Take cuttings spring through fall.
Details
Overview
SAL-vee-ah lew-KAN-thah
Genus: Salvia
Height 3 ft. to 6 ft.
Spread 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Growth Habit Clumps
Growth Pace Fast Grower
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Medium Moisture
Maintenance Low
Characteristics Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Showy Flowers
Bloom Time Early Fall, Fall, Late Summer, Summer
Flower Color Purple/Lavender Flower, White Flower
Uses Beds and Borders, Cut Flower, Suitable as Annual
Style Cottage Garden
Seasonal Interest Spring Interest
Tolerance Drought Tolerant
Type Perennials
Problems: Powdery mildew, rust, stem rot, fungal leaf spots, whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs, spider mites.
