The king of sages. If you want a very impressive 6 ft plus tall sage with thick woody branches that loves dry heat, full sun and little w...Read Moreater, this is the species for you. Produces masses of pale blue whorls of flowers that bees go crazy for, in turn they make one of the most delicious honeys on earth from the plant's nectar. Very long-lived and tough as nails, my oldest plant from seed is the only sage that has survived in my driest desert flowerbed next to Opuntia cacti, a Mexican Palo Verde tree, 2 Boojum trees and agaves. Amazing crinkled texture on their leaves combined with a wonderful scent when the leaves are crushed or you trim the shrub. In the worst drought years, the leaves will curl up before turning yellow and dying, the curling is a great signal to gardeners to give it a drink, even if you decide not to, new green leaves will quickly emerge with the winter rains. Give it a few drinks at the height of summer to keep it evergreen. I grow many sage species, but this one is by far my most sentimental favorite, just looking at it makes you feel like you're in the untamed Wild West of yesteryear. A great plant!
While chaparral is often considered to be dry scrubland, Black Sage actually d...Read Moreoes best with a little deep summer water, and gets replaced in the driest of California's chaparral by plants like Coastal Purple Sage.
Even here it can thrive in partial shade or with a little extra water, and it's well worth it. It is said to attract native bees with its generous clusters of flowers which continue to show up, in ideal conditions, for months.
Once mature, cut back to new (greenest) growth to keep things photogenic. Spent flower heads and fading growth adopt a sable color, thus its common name.
The king of sages. If you want a very impressive 6 ft plus tall sage with thick woody branches that loves dry heat, full sun and little w...Read More
A prolific plant in California's chaparral.
While chaparral is often considered to be dry scrubland, Black Sage actually d...Read More