The autumn sage plant, also known by its botanical name of Salvia greggii, is a popular flowering perennial valued for its long bloom time and ability to attract pollinators. With its stunning flowers and fragrant foliage, the autumn sage has become a garden favorite.
A Brief Background on Autumn Sage
Native to Texas and Mexico, the autumn sage thrives in hot dry climates. It grows to around 2-3 feet tall and wide taking on a bushy, mounded shape. The plant is evergreen in warm regions but may die back in harsh winters.
Autumn sage earned its common name from its long bloom season that extends from summer through the fall. It flowers prolifically with tubular blossoms forming on upright spikes. A member of the mint family, autumn sage has aromatic leaves that release a pleasant scent when brushed.
While the wild autumn sage blooms in shades of red, pink, orange, purple, and white, breeding has introduced even more flower colors. Modern cultivars expand the options to pastel pinks, deep wines, and bicolors.
Key Characteristics of Autumn Sage Plants
Growth habit: Autumn sage has an upright, bushy growth habit, reaching 2-3 feet tall and wide. It grows at a moderate pace.
Flowers: Tubular two-lipped blossoms form on tall, upright spikes. Flowers come in a rainbow of colors including red, pink, purple, orange, white, and bicolors.
Bloom time: Flowers appear from summer through fall, with the plant blooming prolifically during this extended season.
Foliage: The leaves are small, oval, and slightly wrinkled with a soft green or gray-green color. They are aromatic when crushed.
Hardiness: Autumn sage performs best in zones 7-10, thriving in hot, dry areas. It can survive light frosts but may die back in harsh winters.
Sun exposure: Full sun is required for the best growth and maximum flowers.
Soil: Well-draining soil is crucial, as the plant dislikes wet feet. Sandy or gravelly soils are ideal.
Uses: Autumn sage makes a beautiful addition to borders, rock gardens, and pollinator gardens. It also works nicely in containers.
Popular Varieties of Autumn Sage
Many different cultivars of autumn sage exist, ranging widely in flower color. Here are some of the most popular varieties:
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‘Wild Thing’ – One of the most cold hardy varieties, this autumn sage has vibrant, hot pink blooms. It grows 18-24 inches tall.
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‘Radio Red’ – With its true red blossoms, this is the brightest red autumn sage variety available. It remains a compact 18 inches tall.
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‘Raspberry Royale’ – As its name implies, this autumn sage has raspberry-pink flowers that contrast nicely with silver foliage.
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‘Black & Blue’ – Unique bicolor flowers in shades of black-purple and bright blue appear on this 18 inch tall sage.
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‘Elk Pomegranate’ – A taller variety maturing at 3 feet, it has eye-catching blooms in a shade of raspberry-pink.
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‘Jean’s Purple Passion’ – Vivid violet-purple flowers make this a standout autumn sage variety perfect for adding a pop of color.
Growing Tips for Autumn Sage
Light requirements: For the healthiest autumn sage plants with the most flowers, provide a site with full sun. Areas with partial afternoon shade also work in hot climates.
Soil needs: Well-draining soil is essential to prevent root rot. Add sand or gravel to clay soils to improve drainage.
Watering: Once established, autumn sage requires little watering except in times of drought. Drought tolerance makes it ideal for xeriscapes.
Fertilizer: Applying a balanced fertilizer in early spring will promote growth and flowering. No fertilization is needed after mid-summer.
Pruning: Prune autumn sage back by a third in early spring to shape the plant and encourage new growth. Remove any dead branches as needed.
Hardiness: In zones 7-9, autumn sage may die back but will return in spring. In colder zones, treat it as an annual or bring potted plants indoors over winter.
Pests and diseases: Autumn sage is relatively pest and disease free, with no serious issues to watch for.
The Benefits of Adding Autumn Sage to Gardens
Beyond providing vivid color in the garden, autumn sage offers many other benefits:
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Attracts pollinators like hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees
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Provides food and habitat for wildlife
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Has drought tolerance suitable for xeriscaping
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Adds fragrance to the garden when its leaves are brushed
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Blooms for months from summer into fall
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Works well in borders, containers, rock gardens, and more
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Its compact shape fits nicely into smaller spaces
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Adds a pop of color with its varied flower hues
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Remains evergreen in warm winter regions
With minimal care needed and its long bloom time, autumn sage is an excellent choice for adding vibrant colors to the late summer and fall garden. This overview covers the key facts about this beautiful plant and provides helpful growing information to add it successfully to your landscape.
Discover Stunning Plant Combinations
Do you ever wonder what plants look good together? Below are pictures of some of my favorite plant combinations along with some general guidelines that I follow when designing a garden. Keep in mind that planting similar plants together which require similar water needs makes it easier to maintain a landscape.
Tag Archive for: Autumn Sage
It never ceases to amaze me how that despite how busy your calendar, everything grinds to a halt when you get sick. Oh, I realize that there are certain types of sickness that you can press on through like a cold or even a small fever. But, when the stomach flu hits, you are powerless to do anything.
What makes it worse is when everyone in your household gets it as well. So, we have been spending quality time together nursing our sore stomachs and anxiously awaiting the time until our appetites return.
In the meantime, the garden is undergoing some contruction.
Irrigation trenches are criss-crossing our landscape as we are having new drip irrigation installed. Our current system was first installed when we built our home 18 years ago and was having problems with numerous leaks. Considering that the typical lifespan of a drip irrigation system is 10 – 15 years, we were long overdue to have ours replaced.
While it may not seem very exciting, I am looking forward to having separate drip lines for my fruit trees, shrubs/perennials and vegetable garden.
Many plants in my garden are beginning to bloom adn I thought I would give you a peek.
I spread a variety of flowers seeds in my side garden and some have already begun to bloom.
I planted toadflax seeds, which came in a variety of different colors.
white, pink and purple, spring flowers
I have white, pink and purple varieties adding welcome color to this area of the garden.
The seeds are from Botanical Interests and are called ‘Fairy Bouquet’ toadflax.
Another plant that has started blooming is from Renee’s Garden seed company and is called ‘Vanilla Berry’.
So far, these are the only two types of plants flowering in this garden, but the California poppies are getting ready to burst forth in different colors including white, purple, pink and of course, orange.
Citrus trees are also in full bloom perfuming the air with their intoxicating fragrance. I am hopeful that my young Meyer’s lemon tree will produce its first lemons.
The peach trees bloomed earlier this year and are now filled with immature peach fruit – I can almost taste the peach jam that I will make from them this May.
The cool-season annuals that I planted in the fall are still going strong. Even though they look great right now, I will replace them later this month with warm-season annuals in order to allow them time to grow a good root system before the heat of sumemr arrives.
Late winter and spring is also when my autumn sage (Salvia greggii) is also in flower. I received several different varieties, straight from the grower, to try out in my garden, which were planted last fall. They are doing great in their current location where they receive morning sun and afternoon shade.
On another note, we have been anxiously awaiting the re-emergence of our desert tortoise, Aesop.
We last saw him in late October before he went into his hole to hibernate. Since then, we’ve periodically checked on him and today, we moved slightly. So, I can’t wait to see him begin to walking out in the garden.
I’ll be sure to keep you updated.
How is your garden looking? Is anything blooming yet?
One of my favorite shrubs is Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii). I have used it in countless landscapes and I like how well it does when planted around trees where they can enjoy the filtered shade.
Now that fall is just a couple of days away (SUPER excited about that by the way), my thoughts drift toward plants that bloom in fall, which include Autumn Sage.
For more reasons why you may want to add this delightful plant to your garden, check out my latest article for Houzz.com
August Companion Plants – Autumn Sage
FAQ
How do you identify Autumn Sage?
What colors are Autumn Sage plants?
Does Autumn Sage like sun or shade?
Does Autumn Sage attract hummingbirds?
What are the different types of autumn sage?
There are several cultivars of autumn sage, all with similar shapes and growth habits, but with different flower hues: S. greggii ‘Wild Thing’: a widely used cold-hardy cultivar with hot pink flowers. S. greggii ‘Radio Red’: the brightest red of all cultivars. S. greggii ‘Elk Pomegranate’: raspberry-colored flowers.
What color is autumn sage?
While the most common color is red, Autumn Sage can also be found in purple, pink and even white. A garden would look so pretty with a mix of Autumn Sage in different colors! 6. It is small enough to grow in a container I love container gardening, and am in the process of swapping in as many native plants as I can in my garden pots.
How tall does autumn sage grow?
Autumn Sage typically grows to a height of about 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 m), with a a similar spread. It boasts small, oval-shaped, aromatic leaves. Plants carry tubular flowers that come in a variety of colors, including red, pink, purple, and white. These bloom from spring until the first frost.
What are the different types of sage plants?
The culinary and ornamental sages are two main types of sage plants. These two varieties have unique smells when fresh and dried. Choosing the best sage plants for your garden can be a daunting experience. Here is a comprehensive list to consider: Mexican Chia Sage It is a sage plant ideal for culinary and medicinal purposes.