Sonoma Sage, Salvia sonomensis

About Sonoma Sage (Salvia sonomensis) 37 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Sonoma Sage or Creeping Sage is a member of the Lamiaceae (Mint) family native to California. It is found in the Coast Ranges, Peninsular Range, and Sierra foothills. As suggested by its common name, it is a mat-forming subshrub with stems growing no more about 40 centimeters high. The leaves are about 3-6 centimeters long and.5 to 1.5 centimeters wide; they are hairy, the upper surface with minute hairs, and the lower surface so densely covered with recurved hairs that it looks white. The flower clusters are scapose, with clusters 1 to 1.5 centimeter wide. The flowers range in color from white to blue, lilac and purple. It is moderately drought tolerant if given some shade. It is sensitive to heat and direct sun; leaf drop is an indication of too much sun or heat or inadequate moisture. In suitable growing conditions it will forma mat up to 15 ft. wide while remaining about 1 ft. high.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub, Perennial herb

Size

1.3 ft tall
5 - 15 ft wide

Form

Spreading

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Blue, Lavender, Purple, White

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Hummingbirds, butterflies and various other insects are attracted to the flowers
Hummingbird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 10 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica

Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba

Wavy-Lined Emerald Synchlora aerataSynchlora aerata

Hawaiian Beet Webworm Spoladea recurvalisSpoladea recurvalis

Pherne subpunctataPherne subpunctata

Anstenoptilia marmarodactylaAnstenoptilia marmarodactyla

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 3x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 37

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils as long as drainage is adequate. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.5

Common uses

Groundcovers, Deer Resistant, Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Use with shrubs or trees from its native ranges, such as larger Ceanothus sp., toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia or dumosa), tree Oaks (Quercus sp.), and various Pines (Pinus ponderosa and others)

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 3 mos. stratification or soak in 100 ppm GA3 1 hr., then dry and sow within 1wk. (Nord et al. 1971). If a longer storage period is needed between treatment and sowing, use either a longer soaking period or higher concentration of up to 500 ppm ( USDA Forest Service 1974).

Sunset Zones?

7*, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry slopes in the understory of larger chaparral shrubs, oaks, pines, or other trees at elevations below 5,000 ft.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 12.6" - 73.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.22" - 2.77", Coldest Month: 29.1" - 52.0", Hottest Month: 50.0" - 77.5", Humidity: 0.98" - 26.23", Elevation: 88" - 8808"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Creeping Sage

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Sonoma Sage

Salvia sonomensis

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Sonoma SageSalvia sonomensis

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Sonoma Sage

Salvia sonomensis