White sage

Salvia apiana

Description

White sage grows into a mounding and sprawling shrub 3-4 ft. tall and 4-5 ft. wide. It is quickly recognized by its distinctive silvery-white foliage color and dramatic upward sweeping flower stalks. Chalky-white leaves grow 3-4 in. long, are arranged in a whorl pattern on stems and are highly pungent when crushed. Flower spikes begin to grow in late spring and can reach 4-6 ft. high; flowers are mostly white with tinges of pink to lavender.

White sage most commonly occurs in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral plant communities from Santa Barbara County to Baja California. Throughout this range it is a noted honey production plant with distinctive visual character. The combination of tall spikes and white flowers particularly with backlighting results in a bold visual impact in both native gardens throughout the Inland Empire. Plant in full sun, well-drained soils and provide low amounts of summer water.

Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Sprawling, Mounding
Growth Rate: Fast
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: White
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Drought, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Slopes, Restoration, Hummingbird plant, Foliage accent plant, Banks, Attracts bees, Attracts butterflies, Fragrant foliage
Height: 3 ft. – 4 ft.
Width: 4 ft. – 5 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

After spring / early summer flowering, can be headed back by removing as much of the new-ish growth as desired (1). Doing so immediately after the first bloom encourages subsequent blooms, but sacrifices the development of seeds for wildlife to eat (S). Remove dead seed heads in the Fall (October), but save deeper pruning for Spring maintenance (1). Consider leaving some of the pruned dry seed heads in the garden for food, nesting material, and habitat for birds and other critters you want around (S). Older plants that look like they need refreshing can be cut back hard into older wood in November. Expect new growth to emerge within a few weeks (1). (Different) Cut back by up to 1/3 in Fall to keep compact form (2). References