Salvia apiana

Also Known As

Bee Sage
White Sage

Plant type

perennial

size

H: 3'-4'
W: 2'-4'

planting zones

7a-10b

More Options

Salvia apiana plant details

Salvia apiana is a broadleaf evergreen perennial with blue and white foliage. In spring and summer white flowers emerge. Attracts bees, beneficial insects and hummingbirds making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun and regular - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Does well in well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Salvia apiana

Plant type: perennial
Plant family: lamiaceae
Foliage: evergreen blue and white
Mature size: 2 FT - 4 FT - wide, 3 FT - 4 FT - tall
Flowers: white blooms in spring and summer

GROWING CONDITIONS for Salvia apiana

USDA Zones: 7a - 10b
Sun exposure: sun
Watering frequency: regular - low
Resistant to: deer, heat
Soil needs: well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

White sage is a 2' to 5' evergreen perennial shrub. It makes a very large white to lavender flower spike (5') with 100+ 1" flowers. A great bee plant especially prized for honey production. The flowers emerge in summer, but pucker-back, giving the bees fits because they can't get in and out very well. Beautiful for mass planting on dry slopes. Likes summer drought & good drainage, full sun, and no extra water. Considered sacred by many Native Americans who use this plant in may ways. Native to California and is found only slightly beyond California borders. Because it is highly fragrant, many wildlife species like this herb. The flowers frequently attract bumblebees, hummingbirds, small native wasps and hawk moths. The leaves were burnt by many native American tribes, with the smoke used in different purification rituals. The seed was a main ingredient of pinole, a staple food. Found in dry slopes. Communitites located in Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral, Yellow Pine Forest Between 0 and 5000 feet.

By: The Watershed Nursery

A handsome sage demanding a hot, dry, exposed position where it will form a long lived, low woody shrub, clothed in intense silvery white lance shaped leaves. In spring thousands of small white flowers in dense tapering heads tower over the foliage on sturdy stems up to 2m high. The entire plant is highly aromatic, some might say pungent, smelling to me not unlike burnt rubber but considered lovely by many, especially bees who find the flowers irresistible. Easily among the best silver foliaged plants of all time, although it really is more white than silver. Try an un-irrigated super silver garden with others such as Centaurea cineraria, Epilobium canum subsp. canum and Salvia dorrii. Superb on road verges or against rammed earth walls where it looks right at home. Water until established and then at your own risk, an occasional summer watering is beneficial. Otherwise tolerant of any well drained soil. Best on the west coast. Not suitable for areas with high summer humidity (coastal Sydney northwards) but should fair well in the less humid interior.

By: Zephs

A shrubby, coarsely branched shrub to 6' tall and 5' wide, on a hot day its scent is often evident long before the plant comes into view. Upright, pale pink flowering stalks bearing white or lavender flowers rise above the aromatic silver-white foliage. Native Americans used the resinous leaves (either dried or fresh) for ceremonial purposes, early pioneers made a tea from them to relieve colds or congestion, and one source says they may even be used as a soapless shampoo. Beekeepers too find this plant useful, and often keep their hives in chaparral areas where white sage is found because of the strong attraction for bees. Best used in full sun with good air circulation, white sage is drought tolerant once established though completely deciduous without moderate supplemental water. Tolerant of most soil types when given adequate drainage, it is useful as a background accent with other native shrubs such as Ceanothus. Prune back flowering stalks to encourage compactness. Plants are particularly beautiful in the moonlight after a winter rain. Hardy to 10F. Santa Barbara County to Baja California.

By: Native Sons

Make your own smudge-sticks rather than buying them from folks who cut & destroy these plants in the wild. Arresting silvery white lance-shaped leaves are held stiffly on base branchy stems. The 3’ flower spikes with white flowers appear in Spring. Bees adore the small whitish blooms. You should prune the flower spikes after bloom to encourage compactness. Heat & drought loving, it really doesn’t want much Summer water. Good drainage is a must. Many medicinal & sacred uses. A tea made from the leaves is an herbal remedy for cold & congestion. To 4' x 2'.

By: Annie's Annuals & Perennials

Also called bee sage, these salvias create bee heaven in spring to early summer when tall stems of fragrant white flowers stand above the foliage. An evergreen perennial, with lance-shaped and aromatic, pale gray-green, almost white leaves on shrub-like stems to 3-4' tall and wide, this California native requires, sun, terrific drainage against winter's wet, and little summer water. Frost hardy to 0 °F, USDA zone 7 and lower, to zone 5, where winters are dry.

By: Cistus Nursery

Garden photo gallery of Salvia apiana

Photo of Salvia apiana foliage by Annie's Annuals & Perennials

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By: Annie's Annuals & Perennials

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Photo of Salvia apiana flower by National Park Service

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By: National Park Service

This image or media file contains material based on a work of a National Park Service employee, created during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, such work is in the public domain. See the NPS website and NPS copyright policy for more information.

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