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“Midnight” Mexican bush sage shows off in a garden.
Photos by L.A. Jackson
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Plant the tubers of flashy peonies such as “Bartzella” now to light up the spring landscape.
Photos by L.A. Jackson
The autumn landscape will soon be aglow with vibrant yellows, oranges and reds saluting the changing of seasons. So, to this visually stimulating mix of fiery colors, why not add some razzle to all the dazzle with a splash of purple? Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) is just the kind of plant to compete with the sizzling colors of fall with its wide swaths of striking purple spikes.
Sure, typical annual and perennial salvias are spring and summer workhorses that can be counted on for extended, dependable flower displays. But Mexican bush sage waits.
Only when the long, hot summer is winding down—after melting flower borders and wearing out its welcome with gardeners—does Mexican bush sage come out to play with displays of flowing flower stalks dipped in the violet end of the spectrum and lasting deep into the fall.
As the name suggests, this late-show salvia is native to Mexico, but it is generally hardy for South Carolina gardens. A shrubby perennial, it performs best in well-drained soil in a bright location. In fact, without a daily bathing of at least six hours of sunlight, its branches tend to stretch long, leggy and floppy.
A happy Mexican bush sage (deer-resistant, by the way) can grow up to 4 feet tall and about as wide, so place it in a spot where it won’t bully other plants. Being drought-tolerant, it is also a good candidate for xeriscape beds, which require no irrigation, or large container plantings.
Much of the eye-catching purple associated with Mexican bush sage blossoms comes from the fuzzy calyces (outer coverings) of the blooms that persist long after the flowers fade and fall off.
The small corollas of flower petals typically glimmer in a contrasting white, but there are exceptions. For instance, the cultivar “Midnight” (also known as “All Purple”) lives up to its name with amethyst flowers complementing the embracing purple calyces. The compact “Santa Barbara” puts on a similar purple-on-purple display, although the corollas are slightly lighter.
Mexican bush sage is typically not that hard to find either locally or online. And even if you only buy one, don’t worry about it being lonely. This late-flowering beauty is a nectar-laced magnet for lingering bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. So, plant it, and they will come.
September in the garden
• Thought you missed out on establishing a cool-season veggie patch? Fret not, intrepid gardener—there is still time this month to plant broccoli, Brussels sprouts, rutabagas, spinach, turnips, kale, mustard greens, radishes, garden peas, collards and carrots.
• Don’t prune healthy branches off trees and shrubs now because it could encourage new growth that might not have time to harden before the first frosts bite. Note the conditional adjective “healthy” because this month is a good time to prune damaged, diseased or dead limbs, which will be easy to spot while your woody ornamentals are still brimming with leaves.
Tip of the month
Now is a good time to buy and plant herbaceous peony tubers. If they are available at your local nursery, pick out the fattest tubers you can find that have at least four to five pinkish “eyes” on each. In the garden, don’t plant them too deep, no more than an inch below the soil’s surface. This close encounter will expose the tucked-away tubers to the beneficial chill of winter, which they need to develop—and bloom—properly. Also, if possible, site your newbie peonies in an area that greets the morning sun but is somewhat shaded from the harshest afternoon sunrays in the summer.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.