Allen Chickering sage

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light afternoon shade in very hot inland gardens.

Water

Low once established. Water during establishment, then give occasional deep watering during prolonged drought rather than frequent shallow irrigation.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil. Tolerates lean soil but struggles in heavy clay that stays wet, especially in winter.

Height

4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m)

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Flowers

Lavender-blue flowers in spaced whorls along upright stems, mainly in late spring and early summer.

Foliage

Strongly aromatic, grey-green, softly hairy leaves; usually evergreen, but may thin or shed during severe drought or cold.

Growth

Fast in suitable conditions.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.5 ft (0.76 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (1 m)

4. After 3 years

   4 ft (1.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   4 ft (1.4 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a freely draining position; use a raised bed or mound where drainage is poor.
• Water deeply through the first growing season, letting the soil dry between waterings.
• Once established, avoid frequent summer irrigation and keep lawn sprinklers away from the crown.
• Do not routinely fertilise; rich feeding encourages loose, floppy growth.
• Keep mulch clear of the woody base; gravel mulch suits wetter gardens.

Pruning. After flowering, remove spent flower stems and lightly shorten leafy shoots to keep the shrub compact. In colder gardens, leave further shaping until spring after hard frosts; avoid cutting into old, leafless wood.

Autumn

Plant in mild-winter regions while the soil is warm, provided winter drainage is excellent.

Winter

Check that water drains away from the crown and remove fallen debris from the base.

Spring

Plant in colder areas after hard frosts; trim frost-damaged tips back to healthy leafy growth.

Late spring

Check new plants for dry rootballs and water deeply when needed.

Summer

After flowering, remove spent stems and lightly shape without cutting into bare wood.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

• Use as a broad structural shrub in a sunny gravel garden, leaving room for its mature spread.
• Combine with California buckwheat and deer grass in a dry California-native planting.
• Pair with rockroses and lavender for a Mediterranean border with silver foliage and blue-purple flowers.
• Place beside, rather than directly against, a path where the foliage scent can be enjoyed without constant pruning.

Garden styles it suits: California native, Mediterranean, Desert / xeriscape, Dry gravel garden, Pollinator garden and Sensory garden.

Plant it with: California buckwheat, Deer grass, California poppy, Rockrose, Lavender and Yarrow.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects, and hummingbirds where they occur. Aromatic foliage is often avoided by deer, though browsing is still possible.

• Root and crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage, keep the crown clear and reduce irrigation; replace severely affected plants.
• Winter dieback: choose a sheltered, sunny site and wait until spring to remove damaged growth.
• Leggy growth or a bare centre: provide full sun, avoid fertiliser and lightly prune after flowering rather than cutting hard into old wood.
• Aphids on soft spring shoots: rinse off with water and preserve natural predators; treatment is rarely necessary.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, although information specific to this hybrid is limited. No part is established as seriously poisonous; it is an ornamental sage, not a substitute for culinary sage.

• Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii)

  One of its parents, with similar aromatic foliage and tiered flowers; it generally has smaller, narrower leaves. Garden forms overlap considerably, so a reliable label may be needed.

• Purple sage (Salvia leucophylla)

  The other parent generally has paler, more silvery foliage and pinkish-lavender rather than distinctly lavender-blue flowers.

• Winifred Gilman sage (Salvia clevelandii 'Winifred Gilman')

  Usually more compact, with deeper violet-blue flowers than the larger, paler-flowered Allen Chickering.

The cultivar honours California conservationist Allen Chickering; Salvia comes from the Latin salvare, meaning to save or heal.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in spring or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and root in a freely draining medium. Use cuttings to preserve the cultivar; seedlings, if produced, will not reliably come true.

Accepted botanical name

Salvia

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.