Catching Our Eye This Month Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha)

Mexican bush sage, a reliable eye-catching beauty to plant in your drought-tolerant garden, produces large vibrant purple blossoms from March through November. This wonderful sage loves full sun but also grows in part shade as long as it gets about six hours of sun per day. Reaching four feet tall and wide, the plant produces outstanding cut flowers and its colorful blooms attract hummingbirds.

Mexican bush sages are easy plants to grow. After planting, add a slow-release fertilizer like Best Pak* on the side of the hole before backfilling the soil. Here is a brief timeline for growing your Mexican bush sage:
January – Add two handfuls of GroPower Plus fertilizer around the base of the plant. This will get the plant ready to start producing the new growth needed for a great floral display in the spring.
March – Add five Best Paks around the base of each plant. You do not need to break up the packets, just bury them under your mulch.
July – Now that the spring blossoms have faded, cut your Mexican bush sage in half. This will encourage your plant to produce another round of spectacular blooms for the fall. Add two handfuls of GroPower Plus fertilizer around the base of the plant.
September – Add five Best Paks around the base of each plant.
December – The fall blooms have faded, so now is the time to prune the Mexican bush sage all the way down to the ground. In January new growth will begin to sprout from the base.
This plant is one the most reliable and eye-catching beauties to plant in your drought-tolerant garden. Expect lots of hummingbirds in your garden with this great plant!

— Doug Kalal, Great Gardens Landscape Design, 619/200-7066

*Available at Miramar Wholesale Nursery or Hydroscape.

Learn more about Mexican bush sage and other drought-tolerant plants at these free lectures by landscape designer Doug Kalal:

• 1 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 10, Vista Public Library, 700 Eucalyptus Ave, Vista
• 6 p.m. Tuesday, Apr. 27, Rancho San Diego Public Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon
• 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Apr. 28, Point Loma Public Library, 3701 Voltaire St, Point Loma
• 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1, Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave., Coronado