Roseleaf Sage

Roseleaf Sage 'Mulberry Jam' (Salvia involucrata 'Mulberry Jam') is the plant to reach for when a border needs colour from midsummer right through autumn. It builds a soft shrubby clump about 1.5m tall and 1.2m across in a single season, then throws long stems of rich magenta pink flowers that nectar feeding birds visit daily. It grows fast, asks very little, and cuts back to nothing each winter to start again.

Why you'll love it

• A long flowering run. Magenta pink spikes open through summer and keep going into autumn, covering the stretch when most shrubs have finished.
• Birds and bees find it quickly. The tubular flowers are built for nectar feeders, so honeyeaters and bees work the clump all season.
• Full size in one year. It is fast enough that a tube planted in spring is a 1.5m flowering shrub by the end of summer.
• Dry and hot suits it. Drought tolerant and heat tolerant once established, which makes it a reliable filler in a bed that bakes.

Where it works best

Borders and mixed beds. It sits well at the middle or back of a border, tall enough to carry the eye but soft enough not to dominate.

Mass planting for colour. Plant 1m apart in drifts of five or more. At that spacing the clumps touch without crowding, and a block of the magenta reads far better from a distance than single plants dotted about.

Feature planting and large pots. A single clump makes a good soft accent against a wall, and it grows well in a pot 400mm or wider if you keep the water up in summer.

Growing roseleaf sage in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering, though it takes afternoon shade in hot inland gardens. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates, and handles light frost only, so in cold districts expect the top growth to be knocked back each winter.

Soil. Free draining soil is the one real requirement. Improve heavy clay with compost and gypsum, or plant on a slight mound, because wet feet through winter kill these salvias rather than cold does.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer to get the roots down, then it copes on much less. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and a light second feed at the start of summer keeps flowering going.

Pruning. Cut the whole plant back hard in late winter, to roughly 200mm from the ground, before new growth starts. Skip that cut and you have a woody, floppy clump by year two.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in tube stock only, so what arrives is a young plant with a small root plug and a handful of stems. The growth rate does the work: planted into prepared soil in spring, a tube is usually flowering by its first summer and at full size by the second.

Tubes travel well, and a few bent leaves on arrival mean nothing. Keep them out of hot afternoon sun for the first week. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant a garden that brings in birds
• Browse the wider flowering plant range
• Compare plants for bees and butterflies
• See other drought tolerant choices

Common questions

When does it flower, and for how long?

From midsummer into autumn, a long run for a soft shrub. Deadheading spent stems through the season keeps new spikes coming rather than letting the plant set seed and slow down.

Will it survive frost?

It takes light frost only. In cool temperate gardens the top growth is usually cut down by cold, but the crown survives and reshoots in spring, so treat it as a plant that disappears over winter and comes back.

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart for a mass planting. The clumps reach about 1.2m across, so they meet and hold each other upright without smothering.