Propagating Native Sages
It’s too dang hot to be planting anything new in the garden, but it’s a great time for propagating some western natives like these black and Cleveland sages
28
08, 2020
16
04, 2020
Cleveland Sage Blooming in April
Ahh... April and the native sages are all blooming profusely following last week's rain. This one is a Cleveland Sage (Salvia Clevelandii), which both looks amazing and smells incredible. Check out the snake-like whoop-de-do the flower stem on the right is doing for no particular reason. Nature's funny that way.
15
03, 2020
Hummingbird Sage Colony
I started with two small Hummingbird sages (Salvia spathacea) in March of last year, planting them in my native garden on the south side of the house. This particular spot happens to be in the shade of a pine and a large blue gum eucalyptus, two tress notorious for their ability to keep other things from growing under them. Fortunately, Hummingbird sage is a California native that thrives on the floor of oak forests, so the pine and eucalyptus were [keep reading...]
29
02, 2020
Bee’s Bliss Sage in Bloom
Late last spring I got a Salvia Bee's Bliss from my friend @linsaycrazyplantlady's nursery. I planted it near the rocks by the fish pond and left it do its thing. Turns out there were a couple of giant white squill bulbs lurking below the surface in that location that I had forgotten. In November the squill erupted from the ground, leafed out, and completely covered the Bee's Bliss. And so I forgot about the little sage. Yesterday while doing some [keep reading...]
4
01, 2020
Pozo Blue Sage in Early Bloom
This is Salvia Pozo Blue (Salvia clevelandii X leucophylla) a hybrid of two So Cal natives, Purple Sage and Cleveland Sage. I picked it up about two years ago from La Pilatas Nursery, a native plant specialist not too far from here. It's leaves resemble the Cleveland Sage's leaves, but they're spaced farther apart on leggy stems like the Purple Sage. The smell is a woodsy must akin to the Cleveland Sage. I like the plant because it makes a [keep reading...]
11
11, 2019
Photo of the Day: Black Peruvian Sage
This is Peruvian Sage (Salvia discolor), also known as "Andian Sage." Fairly rare even in its native Peru, the plant grow long white stems with leaves that are green on one side and white on the other. The end of the stem is a series of deep purple flowers the color of blackberries with a scent that's a blend of sage and currants. It propagates easily, but is a little tender when it comes to cold, so they do need [keep reading...]
12
05, 2015
Cleveland Sage in Bloom
One of my favorite native plants, Cleveland Sage (salvia clevelandii), which gets its name from the nearby Cleveland National Forest. Looks great, smells great and requires close to zero water and maintenance.
6
05, 2014
Cleveland Sage
Cleveland Sage (salvia clevelandii) is a native sage that grows readily around here. This time of year its fragrant, woodsy flowers are generally covered with bees and hummingbirds. You can dry the blossoms and leaves, mix them with dried lavender and you've got a potpourri that'll beat anything you could get in the store.
27
04, 2014
Autumn Sage “Lipstick”
Seems appropriate that my first post is a photo of a sage. I have 40 or so different ones on the property (people keep bringing me new ones and I keep planting them). This is a Salvia Greggii (autumn sage) called "lipstick." The bees and hummingbirds love it.