California White Sage

Celebrated and appreciated for its strengths and uses, California White Sage is a divine plant for your own sacred garden.

Salvia apiana is a revered sage used by west coast Native Americans for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. In the garden, this venerable plant is grown for its prominent, pollinator-friendly flowers, and attractive, aromatic foliage.

White Sage is a slow-growing, rounded sprawling shrub native to Southern California with soft, silvery, fragrant foliage. Young, wrinkled, grey-green leaves mature to large, white, velvety smooth leaves on white, erect, soft-stemmed, resinous branches. Mostly evergreen, California White Sage may go completely deciduous in extended hot summers without supplemental water.

Long wands of white flowers with pale lavender-pink tones bloom spring through summer in spiked clusters on spectacularly tall, spear-like stalks up to 6 ft. high. Salvia apiana allures bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators in abundance. The flowers will develop into dry seed heads and attract seed-eating birds into your garden.

In all its glory, California White Sage has a strong structural form and creates an impressive focal point in your garden, just be sure to give it the space needed to show off its magnificence. However, some gardeners prefer to feature only the foliage in the landscape and will maintain a smaller size with pruning. The stunning silvery leaves of White Sage are striking in the garden against dark green-leaved plants like Ceanothus (California Lilac).

Salvia apiana grows naturally on dry slopes from Santa Barbara county south to Baja California. It is an excellent choice for xeriscaping and looks great in coastal or California native gardens. This sage needs more sun and better soil drainage than many salvias but is enduringly drought tolerant.

California White Sage is worthy of great honor and respect. Buy your Salvia apiana today for your own sacred garden and reap its rewards for years.

In its native habitat, Salvia apiana grows in full sun on dry slopes in coarse to loamy sandstone to rocky serpentine soils.  Be sure to plant your California White Sage in a sunny location with good air circulation and fast draining soil or on a slope. Be sure to plant with enough space to grow to its full size.

The overall size and habit of Salvia apiana is influenced by the amount of supplemental water it receives and the degree of pruning. Water your California White Sage deeply when planting to help develop a strong root system, then water when soil is dry and as needed until it is fully established. Overwatering, especially during summer months, can lead to mortality. Drought tolerant once established, it will survive on seasonal rains but will go deciduous in summer (its dormant season).

This sage requires little maintenance and no fertilizer. Pinch the stem tips of young plants to encourage branching and bushier growth. For a rounded compact shrub prune flowers stalks before full development.  However, allowing the flowers to remain on the plant and develop into dry seed heads will attract seed-eating birds into your garden.

Some people dislike the highly pungent sage fragrance of Salvia apiana. Consider this when planting near windows or walkways.

Use care if planting or digging near California White Sage as it has a wide-spreading root system.

Other common names of Salvia apiana are Bee Sage or Sacred Sage.

The popularity of sage smudge sticks has led to poaching and destruction of wild plants in their native habitats by unscrupulous people. Please BEE kind and consider the source if purchasing dried white sage, or better yet, grow your own California White Sage.

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