NOLA.com: Savor the salvias, especially colorful Mexican bush sage, before they're gone The Mexican bush sage is starting to bloom, officially signaling a change of seasons. You may not have realized any change of seasons where you live, but in my region the air has been a little crisper ... Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) is an evergreen perennial shrub native to Central America and Mexico, known for its striking flower spikes and easy-care nature.

Understanding the Context

This plant has velvet-textured, gray-green leaves that grow on square stems and exudes a pleasant fragrance. How to Grow and Care for Mexican Bush Sage - The Spruce Maybe one of the most attractive salvias, Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) is prized by gardeners for its ornamental and showy velvety flower spikes produced from late summer to first frost when other summer plants have given hope of doing anything productive. You’ve found it in Mexican bush sage, a type of Salvia that couldn’t be easier to maintain. Its gorgeous purple flowers change in fall, when white petals come into view.

Key Insights

Plant biologist Emily Estep will walk you through all the details on how to pant, grow, and care for this warm-climate perennial. Salvia leucantha, or Mexican bush sage, is a herbaceous perennial plant that is native to subtropical and tropical conifer forests in central and eastern Mexico. Mexican bush sage plant (Salvia leucantha) is a perennial flowering plant with unique greenish silver foliage. Hardy to USDA zones 7b to 10, bush sage can also be grown as an annual in regions outside of its hardiness range. Browse a curated selection available online.

Final Thoughts

A more compact selection of the ever popular Mexican bush sage with the same rich purple flowers and long-blooming nature. Beautiful soft, gray-green foliage is a wonderful complement to the bright blooms. Makes a stunning addition to a rock garden or mixed shrub border. Salvia leucantha, commonly called Mexican bush sage, is an evergreen shrubby perennial that is a Texas native and Texas Superstar®. It is typically grown as an annual in the northern part of Texas although it is native to Mexico and the tropical Americas. Mexican bush sage is a subshrub or herbaceous perennial in the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to Mexico and Central America.

It is only hardy from the lower Piedmont to the coastal plain, and extreme winters may kill it. The specific epithet leucantha comes from Latin and means ‘white-flowered.’. In this article, you’ll learn all the ins and outs of growing Mexican bush sage, along with tips for the best location and how to keep the plant from year to year if you live in a colder climate.