Salvia spathacea ‘Yellow Seedling’

photo: Carol Bornstein

Salvia spathacea - “Crimson sage” or “Hummingbird Sage” is one of the most popular California native Salvias. Normally it has crimson flowers with dark bracts. When Avis Keedy, a long-time volunteer with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, found this yellow flowered form with lime green bracts at Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County, she knew that she had found something special. The plants we offer have been grown from seeds collected from this rare yellow form, isolated from any cross-pollination. Apart from the flower color, it has the usual virtues of “Hummingbird Sage”. Handsome fruity-scented foliage with 2’ spikes of flowers, which happen to be very attractive to hummingbirds. If happy, it will spread with rhizomatous roots to provide a groundcover 3-10’ wide. It is drought resistant & would be a fine groundcover under oaks. But it also tolerates summer watering.

Anni J.
Propagator