Blue sage

Blue sage

• ​Common Name: Blue sage
  
• Scientific Name: Eranthemum pulchellum
  
• Family Name: Acanthaceae
  
• Origin: South Asia​
• Height: 4 to 6 ft
  
• Width: 1 to 3 ft
  
• Growth: Fast
  
• Zone: USDA Zones 10B through 11
  
• Light needs: Full sun to part shade.
  
• Salt tolerance: Low
  
• Soil/pH/Texture: Prefers rich, well-drained soil with an acidic pH below 7.0.
  
• Moisture: Soil should remain moist. Tolerant of high humidity.
  
• Drought tolerance: Moderate
  
• Pests/Diseases: Scale, mealybugs, and nematodes are a minor threat.
  
• Growing conditions: Grow Blue Sage in a sunny, warm area. Soil moisture levels should remain consistent. It does best with some afternoon shade. It should be cut back after flowering to keep it compact and encourage more blooming.
  
• Characteristics: This spreading shrub has moderately dense foliage and clumping stems. Numerous stems produce oppositely arranged, simple, elliptic leaves with entire margins. These leaves are large, 2 to 4 inches long, and have pubescence. The five-petaled, bright blue flowers appear from green-and-white veined bracts in small clusters at the ends of stems. The fruit is a small, dry capsule.
  
• Propagation: By cuttings.
  
• Wildlife: The flowers are attractive to pollinator insects.
  
• Facts: The specific epithet comes from Latin and means “beautiful”.
  
• Designer considerations: Good for mass plantings and borders. In colder climates, it can be grown in a container and brought indoors during the winter or kept in a greenhouse.
  

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