Mexican Bush Sage

Mexican Bush Sage

Mexican Bush Sage Salvia leucantha (SAL-vee-ah lew-KAN-thah)

HABIT: Height 3 – 6 ft. Spread 1 – 3 ft. Downy, bushy, evergreen to subshrub or perennial that produces white and/or purple flowers from late summer to frost. Fast grower. Dies to the ground usually in winter but rebounds every spring.

CULTURE: Provide moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Will do best in planted in well-prepared soil in full. Fairly drought tolerant.

PROPAGATION: Sow seed, or divide plants in spring. Take cuttings spring through fall. Best method is transplants.

USES: Great for the border. Salvias are some of the showiest plants for containers, annual borders and mixed borders. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them.

PROBLEMS: Powdery mildew, rust, stem rot, fungal leaf spots, whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs spider mites will sometimes attack this plant but rarely when organic management is being used.