The Texas sage is a slow-growing shrub that can take up to two years to fully mature and continuously bloom. Once established, Texas Sage has a strong tolerance to drought, uses little to no water, and blooms after a significant downpour. (Don’t try to encourage it into flowering by forcefully watering it; it won’t work.) The silver-gray-green leaves are present throughout the entire year whereas the flowers may disappear in a week or two. The potential height of this plant is 6 feet. As it ages, it blossoms more forcefully. Bees swarm to this shrub when it is in bloom.
History
Salvia texana, occasionally called Texas sage, is a flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It may be found in Texas, New Mexico, northern Mexico, and other places in North America. Arid structures with limestone soils, meadows, and rock formations make up its natural environment.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 1 to 1.5 feet (0.30 to 0.46 meters). It has lanceolate-oblanceolate hairy leaves. The flowers are purple-blue resemblesSalvia engelmannii but have a longer bloom time, smaller and darker blooms, and unopened green buds at the plant’s top.
Texas Sage
Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens), sometimes called barometer shrub, sparkles with a show of excellent pink to lavender or white blossoms following rainfalls through spring through fall. In the height of summer, the silvery leaves of Texas sage offer visual relief. Its soft single-inch grey, green, or silver leaves give a lovely background for the bright blossoms.
Texas sage thrives on hardy soil and difficult conditions once established. This woody, upright shrub grows 5 – 6 feet tall and 5 – 6 feet wide and is drought and heat-resistant. This page contains all the information you need to know about growing and caring for Texas sage.
Texas Sage Overview
Common Name: Cenizo, Texas Sage, Barometer Bush, Purple Sage
Botanical Name: Leucophyllum frutescens
Family Scrophulariaceae: (Figwort Family)
Plant Type: Shrub
Mature Size: 5-6 ft. tall, 5-6 ft. wide
Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Shade
Soil Type: Soil types included difficult, well-drained soil, limestone, clay, and caliche.
Soil pH: Neutral to Alkaline
Bloom Time: January through December
Flower Colors: Pink, Purple, Lavender, White
Hardiness Zones: 8-10 (USDA)
Native Area: Lower 48 States
Types Of Texas Sage Plant
Green Cloud features light green leaves and deep pink to magenta blossoms, which bloom more often than other types.
Silverado is a significantly denser cultivar with fuchsia flowers on silver leaves.
Compact features incredible hot pink flowers with silvery foliage and grows just 3 ft. tall and 3 ft. broad, giving you more options for planting locations in the garden.
The Desperado grows 5 feet tall and 5 feet broad, with silvery-green leaves and lavender-pink blossoms.
Lynn’s Legacy features luxurious green foliage and abundant flowers, growing 5 feet tall and 5 feet broad.
Which Season Can You Grow Texas Sage Plant?
You can grow Texas sage Plant the spring.
How To Grow Texas Sage Plant
Put your seeds on a warm, soaked basis. Six to eight weeks before the last frost, start the mix inside in good light.
Plants should be moved outside for an entire week after the fear of frost has passed.
Plant outside after the final frost, when the plants grow about four inches tall.
Plants ought to be separated as necessary.
Texas Sage Plant Care
The greatest thing about Texas sage is how much you get for your money. It provides so much aesthetic value while improving the environment with so little care and work that it is simple to incorporate into any Southern landscape design.
Pruning
The plant has to be pruned back after its season to make room for fresh growth in the spring. If it is an annual, simply remove it and replant it where necessary. If you are in one of the fortunate areas where it self-sows, be sure you shake the seeds from your plant or harvest the desired number of seeds before cutting your Texas sage back. Thus, it will return to you the following year!
Propagation
Texas sage may be grown from softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings.
Soil
Unless you have sopping wet soil that demands you put on rain boots anytime you walk to the garden, your soil will usually be suitable for generating Texas sage. It grows well on sandy, loamy, and clay-rich soils as long as they are properly drained.
Texas sage requires sufficient drainage. It grows in various rocky or clay soils but dislikes damp feet.
Fertilize
Salvia coccinea does not require any extra fertilizer. It ought to bloom profusely on its own, but if it doesn’t, test your soil to see whether a phosphorus shortage is to blame, and take action from there. Try applying a fertilizer with high nitrogen content in the NPK formula if this is the case.
Light
Texas grows in all light circumstances, from direct sunlight to full shade. Because of this, it is a vital addition to any garden, allowing a landscape designer to add vibrant splashes of color in any location and even unite distinct places with different light conditions and a single type of flower, producing a more logical design.
Water
Texas sage is quite simple to grow. It requires little watering and may tolerate extended periods of drought without suffering greatly. If you reside in a rainy environment, supplementary watering is unnecessary once the plant has established itself. Water your plants on a regular schedule until the plant has established them.
Temperature and Humidity
The pleasant temperatures of the coastal southeast are ideal for Texas sage It prefers humid conditions to dry ones and hot summers; it cannot withstand freezing cold temperatures. Texas may be cultivated as an annual in colder areas but is hardy in USDA classifications 9 and 10 and reseeds easily in zones 6 to 8.
Pests And Diseases
Cotton root rot may occur in Texas sage if it is planted without sufficient drainage or is overwatered Planting in a sunny location with well-drained soil may be avoided.
Common Problems
Fortunately, S. coccinea does not have numerous challenges or pests. However, it is occasionally troubled by mealybugs and aphids. Additionally, if enough room and airflow are not provided, your plants could develop powdery mildew. Split plants when they self-sow and prune back when they get congested to lessen this risk. Plants that are planted in deep shadows may become leggy. The dense and ethereal growth of Texas sage is maintained by routine pruning.
Conclusion
It is a versatile plant that may be used in gardening to protect itself, as an accent plant, as a privacy screen, as a showcase shrub for a home or lawn corner, as a backdrop for smaller plants, as a path or drive border, along a fence, or to encircle tall.