Hollinshead Water-wise Garden Plants

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Photo:

Pat Kolling

Purple Sage

Desert Sage

Latin Name:

Salvia dorrii

Showy late spring blooming native with silver foliage and blue flowers pushing out from mid-purple bracts.

Taxon ID#

81 MAINTENANCE

Maintenance Level:

Low

Min. USDA Hardiness Zone:

5 Sun Preference:

Full Sun

Water Preference:

L

Soil Preference:

Sandy, rocky, or limestone soil

Fertilizer Needs:

Low fertility soil

Recommended Mulch:

In colder USDA zones (zone 6 and below) it is essential to give Native Southwestern and Southwestern hybrids protection from the extreme cold their first couple winters in the garden. Mound up pine needles or fallen autumn leaves over and around the base

Family:

Lamiaceae

Origins:

Plant Type:

Small Shrub (usually < 1.5' and not >3')

It is native to mountain areas in the western United States and northwestern Arizona, found mainly in the Great Basin Range habitat and southward to the Mojave Desert, growing in dry, well draining soils

Oregon native:

yes

Western state native:

yes

PLANT DESCRIPTION

Foliage Color:

Other

Foliage Description:

Aromatic foliage; leaves are opposite, oval, widest at tip and taper to the stem. They have a smooth margin, and silver grey.

Fragrant:

no

Predominant flower color:

Purple

Flower Description:

Showy terminal clusters blue to purple

Fall color:

no

Fall Color Description:

Winter Foliage:

Evergreen

Winter Interest:

no

Winter Interest Description:

Leaves are retained on the plant in winter months

Mature height:

8-32"

Mature spread:

2-3'

Growth rate:

Medium

LANDSCAPE APPLICATION

Deer Resistant:

yes

Fire Resistant:

no

Attracts Pollinators:

yes

Attracts Butterflies:

yes

Native Habitat:

Dry, open scabland & sagebrush areas

Attracts Birds:

yes

Cut/Dried Flowers:

no

Photo:

Kathy Ketchum

Used by Wildlife:

no

Hedge/Screen:

no

Swales:

no

Wildlife Use:

Purple sage is undesirable as forage to both livestock and wildlife. Attracts hummingbirds

Border:

yes

Erosion Control:

yes

Windbreak:

no

Cover Structures:

no

Ground Cover:

no

Provides Shade:

no

Rock Garden:

yes

Adds Texture/Movement:

no

First Bloom:

May

Last Bloom:

Jul

Ornamental Accent:

yes

Garden Observations:

Plant struggled in 2021; pruned back dead stems heavily & it responded well.

SEASONAL CARE

Spring Care:

Summer Care:

Prune lightly after flowering.

Fall Care:

Wait to cut back the plants until spring for improved cold hardiness.

Winter Care:

Long Term Care:

Most of the new growth dies back in the winter, though some persists and becomes woody (Strachan 1982). For this reason pruning of Salvia dorrii is not necessary in order to increase the number of
flowering branches. Pruning the lateral branches, however

Insect Pests:

Wildlife Pests:

Diseases:

Botrytis Blight, Downy Mildew, Impatiens Necrotic Spot. (https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-and-disease-descriptions?title=Salvia)

Environmental Problems:

Landscape Problems:

Care Comments:

RESOURCES

OSU Landscape Profile:

USDA Plants:

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SADOI

Calscape Database:

https://calscape.org/Salvia-dorrii-(Desert-Sage)?srchcr=sc5fb0378a2781d

LBJ Native Plant Database:

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SADO4

Missouri Botanical Garden Database:

Monrovia Profile:

Alternate Source 1:

https://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/salvia/salvia-dorrii-desert-purple-sage

Alternate Source 2:

Source Comment:

Hollinshead Water-wise Garden Plants

Photo:

Pat Kolling

Purple Sage

Desert Sage

​

Latin Name:

Taxon ID#

81

MAINTENANCE

Low

Min. USDA Hardiness Zone:

5

Sun Preference:

Full Sun

Water Preference:

L

Soil Preference:

Sandy, rocky, or limestone soil

Fertilizer Needs:

Low fertility soil

Recommended Mulch:

In colder USDA zones (zone 6 and below) it is essential to give Native Southwestern and Southwestern hybrids protection from the extreme cold their first couple winters in the garden. Mound up pine needles or fallen autumn leaves over and around the base

Family:

Origins:

Plant Type:

Small Shrub (usually < 1.5' and not >3')

It is native to mountain areas in the western United States and northwestern Arizona, found mainly in the Great Basin Range habitat and southward to the Mojave Desert, growing in dry, well draining soils

Oregon native:

yes

Western state native:

yes

PLANT DESCRIPTION

Foliage Color:

Other

Foliage Description:

Aromatic foliage; leaves are opposite, oval, widest at tip and taper to the stem. They have a smooth margin, and silver grey.

Fragrant:

no

Predominant flower color:

Purple

Flower Description:

Showy terminal clusters blue to purple

Fall color:

no

Fall Color Description:

​

Winter Foliage:

Evergreen

Winter Interest:

no

Winter Interest Description:

Leaves are retained on the plant in winter months

Mature height:

8-32"

Mature spread:

2-3'

Growth rate:

Medium

LANDSCAPE APPLICATION

Deer Resistant:

yes

Fire Resistant:

no

Attracts Pollinators:

yes

Attracts Butterflies:

yes

Native Habitat:

Dry, open scabland & sagebrush areas

Attracts Birds:

yes

Cut/Dried Flowers:

no

Photo:

Kathy Ketchum

Used by Wildlife:

no

Hedge/Screen:

no

Most of the new growth dies back in the winter, though some persists and becomes woody (Strachan 1982). For this reason pruning of Salvia dorrii is not necessary in order to increase the number of
flowering branches. Pruning the lateral branches, however