Salvia Species, Bee Sage, California White Sage, Sacred White Sage

A wonderful plant to grow.

Only please DON'T BUY smudges made of S. apiana, because poaching is a problem!

I have been growing Salvia apiana outdoors in Salt Lake City, Utah (zone 7b) without protection for going on 8 years now. During this per...Read Moreiod it has seen 9 F as an all time low, and didn’t show much damage at all. If I’m remembering correctly there was slight burning to a little bit of the newest growth on the tips but it stayed evergreen, and recovered super quickly. This species is also VERY heat and drought tolerant, and didn’t even flinch with our 110 F + temps last summer. I have mine planted on the southwest side of my house against a wall, with shelter from other Broadleaf Evergreen trees and shrubs. This is an AMAZING salvia species for the Southwestern U.S, and should be tried a lot more in zone 7b places! I’m not sure how Salvia apiana would do in temperatures down to 5 F, but seeing as it was barely damaged at 9F, it would probably survive with a good amount damage. Gladly it rarely if ever gets that cold here, and it hasn’t happened for over 25 years. Overall this is an amazing Broadleaf Evergreen that looks gorgeous in Southwestern style gardens with Yuccas, Agaves, Palms, Cacti, and other Broadleaf Evergreens.

This is probably the most famous North American sage, known for its legendary cultural value to Native peoples. I grew up in the Californ...Read Moreia coastal mountains and the smell of White Sage instantly takes me back to the mysterious winding precipices of the Ventana Wilderness.

Unfortunately, "New Age" superstition industry creates a demand for pirated White Sage. I’ve seen hillsides of this fragrant native stripped and hauled away in garbage bags for sale.

More the pity, because live White Sage can be honestly purchased at small nurseries, and sustainably home-grown just about anywhere in Zones 9 to 11. Once established, they demand little and are forgivingly undeterred by frosty or scorching weather.

We have a thriving sage garden ourselves, with a lot of White Sage. All our salvias love a start in native dirt lightened 50-50 with citrus planting soil seasoned with fine gravel and coarse sand, even shards of old broken up pottery. Sages love to stretch their roots through a base of interesting rocky material. Dense monotonous clays make them depressed. Give your plantings a slow, heavy soaking once every month from January to April, but resist overwatering the rest of the year. They will go nuts within a few growing seasons.

Once happily established, White Sage sends up beautiful springtime shoots up to 10’ tall, with white honeybee blossoms and bristling fingers packed with seeds that birds enjoy picking out. Healthy leaves cluster around the base in leathery silver green collars dense with pungent oils.

Plant White Sage in full sun along walkways and outside windowsills where you can smell them all year long. You’ll find yourself deliberately brushing against them in the springtime and after rain showers to get the aroma on your clothes. A robust White Sage can always spare a handful of leaves for homemade potpourri or incense, or whatever your purpose.

In many ways a great plant with great uses. In the past i have bought white sage dried as a incense, using it for ritualistic purposes or...Read More just smudging my room.

I also have smoken white sage on multiple occasions, it's one of the harshest smokes but is definitely psychoactive. It somehow gives somekind of relaxation and meditative mindset. I also believe that like many salvia this one probably contain unique alkaloids.

I grow them out of seed every year. About 30 % of the seeds wil germinate without stratification but keep in mind some seedlings will succumb. Stratification for a few weeks doubles the germination rate.

Like all salvia species i germinate them in water, in my opinion this is the only fast and reliable way to germinate all salvia species. Just soak them in water for 3 to 5 days but be sure to pick out the germinated ones , usually 35 % germinates at day 3 and the rest will follow in a week. There is somekind of gelatine coating around the seeds when you soak it for a few days in water , leave it intact it will prevent the seeds from drying out.

Only surface sow this species ( do not cover it with earth ). They actually germinate in high light conditions but at slightly lower temperatures around 20 C. I don't see a reason to try higher temperatures because often with desert species high temperatures cause dormancy ( just like certain agave species etc ) and average (room)temperatures have given me better germination rates.

Just make sure the daytime temperature is higher than nighttime , like most arid inhabiters they need a daytime /nightime temperature cycle ( just like most cold hardy cacti and agave species ). Seedlings unlike mature plants need more water, but be sure it dries out before watering again.

Now about the cultivation of this one , the growth rate here in The Netherlands ( same climate as the UK but more air humidity and a bit colder ). It grows moderately fast even tho we do not have alot of sun hours every year , this salvia needs as much sun as a cactus . In high humidity areas it will get weakened and succumb to all kind of insects , aphid, trips etc. It needs a very dry soil so try out a cactus soil with some extra grit.

Having a wet or soggy soil for more than 3 days is just too much for this plant it will get weakened and will not pull through the winter. It really does need rain protection in winter, but even if you give them extremely draining soil and rain protection in winter they still suffer from high air humidity and look miserable. Mine died again this year because of high air humidity. This year im going to overwinter it in a cool room ( like a garage ) , taking it from outside indoors is a bad idea because it will be ridden with insects so put it away cold.

I really believe this one is cold hardy to zone 7B but its way more moisture sensitive than cold hardy agave ( no joke ) mine just died at high humidity -3 C nights. The only way around is to make it survive is to have a mature plant because young plants wither away way to easily in wet climates , and use extreme draining soil en rain protection in winter.