Mexican Sage

Mexican Sage 'Merlot' (Salvia leucantha 'Merlot') is the shrub to plant when a border needs six months of colour and almost no attention. It makes a soft mound about 1.2m tall and 1.2m across, with grey green foliage and long velvety spikes of deep burgundy purple that arrive in late summer and hold well into winter. Honeyeaters and bees work it all season.

Why you'll love it

• A very long flowering season. Spikes open from late summer and keep coming through autumn into winter, filling the gap after the spring flush is over.
• Genuinely drought and heat tolerant. Once established it carries a Mediterranean or inland summer on occasional deep watering rather than constant attention.
• Birds and bees find it. The tubular flowers are built for nectar feeders, so honeyeaters and native bees turn up within a season.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it can go in a border a dog runs through.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 1m apart along a bed for a continuous massed border. It carries height at the back of a low border or the middle of a deep one.

Mass planting. On a bank or a dry verge, groups of five or more at 1m centres read as one drift of purple and cover ground quickly.

Pots and feature planting. A pot 400mm or wider suits a single plant on a hot courtyard, where the grey foliage holds up between flushes.

Growing Mexican Sage in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and plenty of it. Subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens suit it best. It takes light frost only, so in cold inland and southern districts expect the top growth to be knocked back over winter; it usually reshoots from the base in spring if the crown is mulched.

Soil. Free draining is the only real requirement. It grows happily in poor sandy ground and dislikes wet feet, so on clay plant on a mound and keep heavy mulch off the stems.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to settle the roots, then drop back to a deep soak in dry spells. A light application of complete fertiliser in early spring is enough, and too much nitrogen gives leaf at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. Cut the whole plant back hard in late winter, to roughly 30cm. This is the one job that matters, because unpruned plants go woody and sparse at the base within two years.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock, so your plant arrives young, usually a single soft stem under 20cm with a well developed root system. Tubes travel well because there is little top growth to bruise. Planted in spring, a tube is generally flowering by the following autumn, which is fast for a shrub this size.

Because tubes are the only size, most customers buy them in quantity for a border, which is where they make the most sense anyway: planted in numbers at 1m centres they knit into a continuous drift within a season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Ideas for planting a low border that keeps its colour
• Browse other drought tolerant plants
• Plants that bring bees and butterflies into the garden
• Shrubs suited to mass planting

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart for a massed border. At that spacing the mounds touch by the end of the first full season without crowding each other out.

Will it survive frost?

It tolerates light frost only. In frost prone gardens the top growth is usually cut down over winter and regrows from the base in spring, provided the crown is mulched and the soil drains.

When and how hard do I cut it back?

Late winter, back to about 30cm. It looks brutal and it is exactly right. Skipping this leaves you with a woody, hollow plant flowering only at the tips.

Is it safe for dogs?

Yes. Mexican sage is not toxic to cats or dogs, so it suits a border in a yard with pets.