california native flora

Salvia Spathacea – Hummingbird Sage

Click Image To Enlarge

Salvia Spathacea is a fairly fast growing perennial that can be used as groundcover as it spreads by rhizomes. We planted ours in full shade in the fall and I’ve already seen many new nodes popping up a foot or two away from the parent plant. The leaves are large and sticky and they have a lovely fruity fragrance with distinct hints of grapefruit.

This California native is not particularly fussy – it grows in a pot or the ground, likes full sun or shade (does a bit better in shade inland), will take mild drought yet it does not mind a sprinkle or two in the summer. A few of the leaves go brown in the hot weather and some consider spent flower stalks to be unsightly. Cut ‘em off or leave ‘em alone, Hummingbird Sage just keeps growing.

The hummingbirds certainly enjoy it. I see them visit our specimen frequently throughout the day, often working the same blooms over and over again. This is one of many fantastic native plants for a wildlife garden.