Hummingbird sage
- Common Name: Hummingbird sage
- Scientific Name: Salvia guarantica
- Family Name: Lamiaceae
- Origin: South America
- Height: 2 to 5 ft
- Width: 2 to 5 ft
- Growth: Fast
- Zone: USDA Zones 8 through 10
- Light needs: Full sun to part shade.
- Salt tolerance: Low
- Soil/pH/Texture: This plant should be grown in an organically rich, evenly moist, well-drained soil with an acidic pH between 5.5 and 6.5.
- Moisture: Moderate water needs – soil should remain uniformly moist.
- Drought tolerance: Moderate
- Pests/Diseases: Susceptible to mildew.
- Growing conditions: This plant should be grown in a warm, sunny area. Although it is tolerant of some shade, too much shade can cause the plant to get too tall and fall over, so it is best to err on the side of caution. Once established, it is tolerant of short droughts and is low maintenance. Flowers should be deadheaded to encourage further blooming. Although it is only hardy in zones 8 through 10, it can be grown as an annual in colder regions.
- Characteristics: This plant forms an open, upright shrub. Leaves are lanceolate and bright green (sometimes chartreuse) and grow oppositely up the stem. Flowers emerge on tall, dark purple spikes that grow from the very ends of stems. These flowers are tubular and are rich indigo or violet in color. Each spike may have around ten to twenty flowers. Fruits are inconspicuous capsules.
- Propagation: By seed or by cuttings. Named cultivars should be propagated by cuttings only as they will not grow true from seed.
- Wildlife: The flowers are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.
- Facts: The foliage produces a slight anise scent when damaged.
- Designer considerations: A must-have for pollinator gardens, it looks best paired with warm-toned flowers, which balance beautifully with the dark violet and blue. It works wonderfully as a backdrop for benches and tables due to the position of its flowers, which only grow at the very top of the plant.
Location
Butterfly Garden
Hummingbird sage
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