Salvia farinaceaMealycup Sage

Salvia farinacea sends up narrow spikes of deep violet-blue flowers on mealy white stems, from spring right through to autumn, above a low mound of grey-green foliage. The contrast between the pale stem and the dark flower is what gives the Mealycup Sage its carrying power in a mass planting.

It comes from the limestone country of Texas and northern Mexico, which is why it takes heat, poor soil and low irrigation without complaint. In the hottest arid climates it is used as a cool-season bedding plant rather than a permanent one.

Specifications

• Height0.4 to 0.8 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.5 metres
• Native toTexas and northern Mexico
• FoliageNarrow, lance-shaped grey-green leaves on mealy white stems; evergreen in mild climates
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers well-drained soils; tolerates poor, stony and alkaline ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in warm temperate, Mediterranean and subtropical regions; used as a cool-season bedding plant in the hottest arid climates

Additional Features

• FlowersNarrow spikes of deep violet-blue or white flowers on mealy white stems, from spring to autumn
• UsesMass bedding, ribbon planting, roundabouts, median beds and mixed borders
• SpacingPlant 0.3 metres apart for a solid block of colour
• Low MaintenanceShear spent spikes to bring on the next flush; replace beds when plants open out
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble free and rarely browsed
• Drought ToleranceHolds flowering on low irrigation once established
• Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked heavily by bees and butterflies

Mealycup Sage is the most dependable blue available for a mass bedding scheme, and it holds that colour for months on very little water.