True sages have the Latin name of salvia. Luckily for Southwest gardeners, many of these easily grown plants are tough, drought tolerant, long-blooming performers in our gardens. These dependable troopers tolerate our pitiful soil, extreme summer heat and freezing winters and still burst into blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Salvias are the largest genus of the mint family (Lamiacae). Their growth habits range from annual to perennial and from flowering plants to evergreen shrubs. More than 900 species of this plant exist worldwide. Salvias vary in color from bright red and pink to intense blue and purple. There are a few white and yellow salvia species as well. There are also blooming salvias for every season. Cherry sage or autumn sage (Salvia greggii) begins blooming in early March and continues until winter. Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii) will dress up in blue blooms from April through June. The Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) begins growing leaves in March, but does not bloom until August and continues until a hard freeze knocks it to the ground.
Southwest native mealy sage (Salvia farinacea) sports brilliant blue flowers all summer –no matter how hot it gets. Blue sage or germander sage (Salvia chamaedryoides), a Chihuahuan desert native, will act as a ground cover with silver leaves and blue flowers, especially after the rains in spring and fall.
Let’s not forget the culinary salvias, which perform beautifully in our gardens, providing both herbs to flavor our foods and elegant flowers on an evergreen mounding shrub. Common garden sage (Salvia officinalis) can be used fresh or dried in many recipes. For more impact in the garden, experiment with golden sage, a cultivar of garden sage, which is as winter hardy as common sage, but has variegated yellow and olive green leaves. In the spring, gardeners can brighten their herb and flower beds with tricolor (white, purple, and olive green leaves) and purple sage (purple leaves), more garden sage cultivars, though these sages are not as winter hardy as the common sage.
In ancient times, sages were used for a wide range of medicinal purposes from curing snakebites to healing infections. Sage sprinkled in the tub is useful for aching muscles and joints. Roman historian Pliny the Elder first assigned the Latin name to these plants. Salvia derives from the Latin word salvare, which means to heal or save. In the language of flowers and herbs, sage represents long life and wisdom. Through the centuries, sage has been connected with immortality or longevity and increasing mental capacity.
Salvias’ blooms are tubular and sweet with nectar, which attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Many salvias bloom in red, a color that also attracts hummingbirds, though the birds will also visit plants of any color. While birds and butterflies are attracted to these plants, few pests or diseases cause problems.
Including dependable and hardy sages in a Southwest garden plan guarantees many seasons of colorful blooms and beautiful visitors with very little effort on the part of the gardener.
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