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Home Garden Salvia List
Plant
Lists California Native Plants
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Salvia mellifera * Black Sage |
| You can smell the foliage oils of
Salvia mellifera as you
walk by without even touching the plant. This scent brings back childhood memories of
running down trails hurdling the branches that stuck out over the trail.
The white flowers stand out when they are visible against the dark bumpy
leaves. In the
garden setting care must be taken not to water too much in the summer.
Salvia mellifera can
withstand winter rainfall but not living in a bog. Naturally the Black
Sage is found on South and West
facing slopes on rocky soil in California's coastal sage scrub plant community. Care
must be taken in fire prone areas as the Black Sage burns quite well.
There is a low growing selection of Salvia mellifera, Salvia
tera seca, that is more fire safe due to the low stature of the
plants. Salvia
leucophylla, Salvia mellifera, and Salvia apiana hybridize freely. Some of the crosses have beautiful flower
and foliage textural attributes from each of their parents. Salvia
mellifera is a great addition to the hummingbird
garden as well as the butterfly
garden.
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