Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii, wonderfully fragrant)

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Salvia clevelandii poolside at 4200′ elevation

Salvia clevelandii goes by quite a number of names –blue sage, Cleveland sage (obvious from its name), and fragrant sage. The flowers are, indeed, very blue to dark blue-purple, though this can vary with the amount and type of light it gets (as with all plants).

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Salvia clevelandii is a perennial, native to the inland chaparral and coastal areas of Southern California and northern Baja California.  It is now easy to find in the nursery trade but this has not always been the case.  By now, it is a treasured landscape plant in California, where water becomes ever scarce.

It prefers full sun but will grow (leggy) in less than blistering sun. It does need good drainage to survive.

It is a tough and reliable perennial that thrives with little water and lots of neglect. It is extremely drought tolerant, especially in milder climates (other than the desert where it may be over 100º F during the day). In desert heat, it will need light waterings on a regular basis (every other day or third day).  It does not sink a deep enough tap root to survive long periods of drought in desperate heat.  In milder climates, it easily withstands two or more weeks with no added water.

Its life span of eight to ten years is relatively short, but its rewards more than exceed its “short” stay with you.

Its stems are quite brittle, broken off easily if one is not careful.  On the other hand, its foliage is SO FRAGRANT that one would want to place it where people will brush it gently in passing to release the powerful fragrance of sage into the air.

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Salvia clevelandii in the background of the three center plants

In the photo above, Salvia clevelandia occupies the rear of the three plants in the center. Just in front of it are two Artemesias (Powis Castle is the lower-growing one with darker green leaves). The ground cover in front is a tiny ice plant.  All needed regular drip irrigation in the summer in the desert.

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The base of Salvia clevelandii flowers are whorled around the stem with its blue/purple tiny flowers emerging from each point.  It pollinated, the seeds will be well protected in each of the deep pockets.

Its foliage carries an absolutely beautiful sage fragrance, much nicer than common chaparral sages in its rich, perfumed character.  Its stems can be cut for indoor use in vases, carrying the fragrance with them to be enjoyed for a longer time.

It thrives best below 3,000 feet (900 m) elevation, though the picture above shows it at 4200′ elevation in the California High Desert.  What this picture doesn’t show it what happens if a heavy blanket of snow covers it in winter.  It will look pretty sad and will freeze if it gets too cold for too long a time.  It tolerates cold down to about 20º F.  The one pictured springs back each spring/summer, assuming no major snows occurred that lasted more than a day on the ground.

It grows pretty readily from fresh seed, but seeds are not abundant as they are from some other plants.  Its flowers and leaves can contribute wonderful character to pot pourri blends.

It’s not really a plant that you want to prune regularly, and we did so only when it started to cover up the pool deck entirely.  Gentle pruning did not harm it at all, but be wary of a hard prune, as the plant may not come back.

 

 

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