White Sage (Salvia apiana)

Native to Southern California's coastal sage scrub region, White Sage (Salvia apiana) is one of the state's most important Salvia species. White Sage is fragrant, with silver-white leaves, and clusters of white flowers with lavender streaks. Young leaves start off green and turn white as they get older. White Sage is deeply rooted in the cultures and lifeways of Indigenous communities of Southern California and northern Baja, the only region this sage naturally occurs in the world. This plant's limited wild populations are under threat from poaching, climate change, and development. Nursery-grown White Sage is a valuable pollinator plant in the garden. The small white flowers are a favorite of carpenter bees, bumble bees, and hummingbirds. In Latin, "apiana" means of or belonging to bees. The blooms are accented by silvery-white foliage. White Sage is a drought-adapted low-water shrub that grows best in full sun. Pruning helps keep it neat and compact. From Calscape

Pick-up only, no shipping available. 

Grower: The Watershed Nursery

Other Names Used: 

Family: Lamiaceae

Life Cycle: Perennial

Plant Type: Shrub

Sun Exposure: Full

Bloom Period: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Bloom Color(s): White

Plant Height: 3-5 feet tall

Plant Width: 3-8 feet wide

California Regions:

• Central California Coast
• Southern Coast
• Southern California Inland
• Desert

Ecological Benefits:

• Attracts pollinators, birds, wildlife

Ecological Functions:

• Hedge
• Living Fence
• Bank Stabilization

Habitat Type:

• Chaparral
  
• Northern Coastal Scrub
• Coastal Sage Scrub
• Desert Scrub

Human Uses/Cautions: 

Skill Level: Beginner

Seed Pretreatment: None