Salvias are among the best plants for Western gardens. Many are
native, so are very well adapted to local soils and climates.
Salvia is actually the largest genus of the mint family, with more
than nine hundred specie. There are so many salvias that there are
not enough common names for them all.
Salvias are among the best plants for Western gardens. Many are native, so are very well adapted to local soils and climates. Salvia is actually the largest genus of the mint family, with more than nine hundred specie. There are so many salvias that there are not enough common names for them all.
Salvia microphylla microphylla (Salvia grahamii) happens to be one of the salvias that are known by its botanical name because it has no common name. The repeated ‘microphylla’ distinguishes the most popular varieties that are derived from the original species without the repetition, which is native from Southern Arizona to Southern Mexico.
Most are resilient dense shrubs, about three feet tall and wide, or a bit wider. Denser and more compact varieties are shorter. Larger varieties that can get taller than five feet are sparser. Although remarkably drought tolerant, they prefer to be watered occasionally. They also prefer warm sunny locations, but can tolerate a bit of shade. The evergreen leaves are about three quarters of an inch long.
The inch-wide flowers bloom in pairs on short stems. There are a few pairs of flowers on each stem, each blooming consecutively as the pair below it fades. Bloom is sporadic all year, and quite abundant in spring and autumn or early winter. Flower color is variable, including white and many shades of pink, red and purple.
Tony Tomeo is a consulting horticulturist and arborist for New Image Landscape of Fremont. His weekly radio broadcast, “New Image Garden Report,” can be heard at 8:10am on Friday mornings on KSCO, 1080 AM of Santa Cruz. Tony can be reached at (888) 226-9191 or
tt****@ne***************.com
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