Salvia munzii

Identification

Gallery

Description

San Diego sage is a small bush or sub-shrub that grows from two to three foot tall and a little wider that occurs down near the border with Mexico, in the worst conditions possible. This native to San Diego is similar to Salvia mellifera but young stems more slender, the bush smaller, flowers always blue, and tolerates summer water significantly better. San Diego sage is from San Diego, and as much as they complain about their winters, it doesn't get that cold there, so this sage is hardy to only about 20 degrees F.. This sage survives extreme drought by going deciduous, but in a normal garden will stay evergreen. The small size of Munz's Sage allows it to fit into small gardens or a small courtyard or border. The flowers are a brilliant blue on green foliage. Probably the best native sage for containers. Mix with a few monkey flowers and Catalina' California fuchsia to make a show stopper. Here's a native sage page where you can see all the Salvias of California.