Salvia apiana
Bee sage, Caifornia white sage, White sage
- Height × spread
- 1m × 1.3m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This is a tender shrub which stands around a metre high, though can be three times that height in its native California. It has good-sized handsome leaves that are oblong and covered in white hairs so their colour is silvered green. They are said to have a luminous quality in moonlight. The flowers come on very long slender stalks, coloured white to lilac and a bit puny despite the magnificent flowering spire. The plant is strongly aromatic and attracts bees. A tea can be made from the leaves which eases colds and congestion and, seemingly, you can use it as a shampoo.
- Flower colour
- Lilac, Purple, White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 1m
- Spread
- 1.3m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Small scale garden, Seaside garden, Herb garden, Exotic garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil
- Hardiness
- Average winter to - 10C (RHS H4)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Use for
- Bee attraction
- Maintenance
- Easycare – low/no maintenance
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring - mid-late · Planting
Trim the plant
Trim the plant to give it a general tidy. This includes removing any lengthy or awkward shoots that make the plant look visually less attractive. Remove any spent flower heads at the same time.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Found in
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