Maureen Gilmer

We learn much in hard times, particularly during drought when plants reveal just how tough they really are. Infrequent watering may have left many looking sad and dry, one celebrates the challenge, blooming its heart out everywhere from April to June. She is in her glory in drier conditions, I know, I killed my first ones with way too much summer water. In spring they explode into tall wands of indigo blue-purple, flowering like crazy in reflected heat, mounds, hillsides, raised beds and everywhere that's well drained.

It shouldn't be a surprise because this is Cleveland sage, Salvia clevelandii, a native of arid Southern California in rough country at elevations up to about 3000 feet. They are cold hardy to at least 20° F., perhaps even lower when roots survive the freeze, then sprout from crowns in spring. The gauge of a native's preferences are always explained by where it chooses to reproduce in the wild. These prefer homes in disturbed ground, roadside grading, dry washes and deep in back country canyons demonstrating they are the quintessential plant for rural home site gardens and ranches in the desert.

This is a big burly plant that develops a hard woody framework under all the top growth, so it's technically a subshrub, not a perennial. Refined visual appeal integrates nicely into existing desertscapes, rock gardens, slopes and native plant compositions. Above all they want lean fast draining ground and stand up to wind far better than most broadleafs. This is also the perfect companion for certain cacti and succulents that are finicky about summer water and need neighbors that share the same super arid preferences.

As a salvia, cousin to our kitchen sage, this plant is rich in essential oils that make it intensely fragrant, particularly when condition are hot and dry. This potent scent makes Cleveland unappealing to rabbits and deer except under extreme starvation when they'll eat most anything. This makes Cleveland sage a good choice for open sites without fencing. It's also such a big subshrub reaching four to five feet at maturity you'll see from a long way off. If protected in youth it will eventually grow out of reach of the hungriest rabbit. Key is a tube of wire around the base when young to protect young bark from rabbits eating it to girdle the main stem, often in winter. Leave the tube in place so the plant grows tall and wide to cover it up.

While the native species is beautiful, breeding for bigger and more abundant flowering has yielded a variety of versions. The most well loved is called 'Allen Chickering', which is second only to the original native species for desert gardens. Newer forms and flower hues are out there too, but some were bred to bring this arid zone look into wetter gardens so depending on their individual characteristics they might not fare well in the low desert.

Cleveland sage is still blooming in the high desert in June, but in the low desert it flowers earlier. Each mature sage will produce large numbers of bloom spikes which support whorls of flowers at intervals up the stalk. If left to go to see in situ, they self sow increasing the chance of a seedling in your garden. Bright finches will come to feed as well. When seeds are gone, cut the long stalks to make dried floral arrangements indoors.

Whether you live in a Movie Colony estate or out in the foothills, Cleveland sage is among our most naturally adapted perennials to this intense climate. It's ideal for adding masses of green and blue to otherwise hot and stony cactus gardens. They are compatible with most desert natives and also lend an early California feel to Spanish style homes. Plant one every October because the life span rarely exceeds ten years so. That way you'll always have some coming and some going so you'll never be without these incredible fragrant plants again.