Scientific Name: Salvia leucantha
Alternate Common Names: Velvet Sage, Hierba de la Playa, Pluma de Santa Teresa (Spanish)
Native Range: central and eastern Mexico
Attracts: Hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees, songbirds
Plant Type: perennial
Flower Colors: White and purple (wild type), solid purple, solid white, white and pink
Bloom period: Spring-Fall
Mature Size (w x h): 6 x 5 feet (1.8 x 1.5 m)
Hardiness: 5°F/-15°C
Water: Moderate
Light: Full sun to part shade
A native of conifer forests in Mexico, this unusual-looking and adaptable sage is a popular ornamental in gardens far beyond its original range. Under favorable conditions, it will spread by underground “runners” to form a large hedge. Long spikes of fuzzy flowers appear in late summer and fall, coinciding with the return of migratory hummingbirds to their winter homes. It dies to the ground after the first hard frost, reappearing in mid to late spring.