Perennial Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Velvet Sage
( Salvia Leucantha )
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Origins:
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha is native to central and eastern Mexico.
– A bushy or semi woody perennial plant, evergreen foliage and blooms from fall to spring in the Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscapes.
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Preferred Exposure:
– Perennial Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha will do best with a
full sun location. If planted where they receive ta lot of shade the plants may stretch towards the sun and have a tendency eve when trimmed properly in the spring and summer to get leggy.
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Foliage:
– Thin lance like foliage is gray green on the surface and whitish on the bottom giving the plant even when not in bloom a beautiful texture and color in the garden.
– Foliage should remain evergreen in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St.
Augustine area landscapes but may damage in non frost free areas or colder climate zones. If winter damage occurs trim back the foliage in spring and fertilize, the plant will regrow quickly.
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Soil Preference / Salt tolerance:
– Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha is not particular about the components of the soil it is planted in providing they are planted in a well draining location.
– Unknown Salt tolerance. Have it at the beach? Let us know how it did!
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Size Variance:
– Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha will grow quickly grow to heights of 3-4 feet and 4-5 feet wide. Ideal for larger back of the border plantings and perfect in mixed flowering containers.
Perennial Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Growth Habit:
– Semi evergreen to evergreen perennial plant forms an attractive upright mound of foliage, slightly taller than it is wide. Arching stems when large flower stalks add their weight in the fall through spring seasons.
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Growth Rate:
– Extremely fast growing Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha can be expected to reach its full height in just its first growing season after being planted in the North Florida |Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape.
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Bloom:
– Perhaps my favorite of all the salvia blooms and for good reason, the calyxes are a bright lilac purple and have a fuzzy appearance. Blooms out of the calyx are white making it a beautiful bicolor blossom.
– elongated flower stalks rise above the foliage in early fall and continue blooming through winter and spring in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape.
– Remove spent blooms for best results.
Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha Water Requirements:
-Although fairly drought tolerant, much more than most of the salvia varieties and selections, Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha will perform best when supplemental irrigation is supplied, at least weekly during hot dry summer months if local rainfall levels are low.
– Regular water is necessary to get the plant rooted and growing on its own after being planted in the ground from a nursery container.
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– S & J Nursery’s Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha will attract
butterflies and hummingbirds to your North Florida gardens landscape.
Best Uses For Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha in the North Florida |
Jacksonville | St. Augustine area garden:
– Easy maintenance blooming plant for perennial beds and flower borders.
-A big impact with just a few plants in the garden, these large plants put on a display that cant be missed!
– Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha makes a great companion plant for other perennials in the garden.
– Deer resistant flowering selection!
– Attracts butterflies!
Care of Perennial Salvia Mexican Bush Sage / Salvia Leucantha in the North Florida
| Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape:
– Water every day during the establishment period after planting in the garden from a nursery container, once plants have established themselves into the landscape, you can begin to taper watering back to just a weekly irrigation
– Although most winters these plants will remain evergreen if cold damage occurs, leave foliage and roots in place for next years growth.
– Trim back both foliage and blooms in spring regardless of whether your planting has kept its leaves or died back. Trim back the woody stems that have formed to just 6-12 inches above ground level or all the way back to ground level if needed to allow the plant to regrow new lush foliage for the new season.
– Plants may benefit from a tidy up trim mid summer to make sure the branches are good and sturdy for the mass of blooms that will start forming in the fall.
– Fertilize each spring, and again when trimming in late summer with a handful of garden compost or a mixture of Milorganite and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food or 10-10-10.