Anise-scented sage

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowers best in sun, with afternoon shade helpful in very hot climates.

Water

Moderate; water during dry spells, allowing the soil surface to dry slightly between waterings. Avoid waterlogged soil, especially in winter.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost; tolerates a range of soil textures and pH levels if drainage is good.

Height

3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m)

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m), widening over time through underground rhizomes

Flowers

Summer until the first frosts; deep blue tubular flowers, often with dark calyces.

Foliage

Opposite, pointed, mid-green leaves with toothed edges; crushed foliage may have a faint anise scent, though its strength varies.

Growth

Fast in warm weather

Care needed

Medium

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

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

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

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

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.8 ft (0.84 m)

3. After 2 years

   4 ft (1.4 m)

   full size

About 2 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

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water new plants regularly through their first growing season, then water established clumps during prolonged dry spells.
• Apply compost in spring; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which encourages floppy growth.
• Mulch the root area before winter in colder parts of its range, without piling wet material against the crown.
• Support tall stems early in exposed gardens, or pinch young shoots to encourage branching.
• Divide congested clumps in spring and remove unwanted rhizomes to limit their spread.
• Where winters are too cold, keep a potted division or rooted cutting in a bright, frost-free place.

Pruning. Pinch shoot tips in late spring for bushier, shorter plants, and remove spent flower spikes to a leafy side shoot during the flowering season. Leave frost-killed stems through winter in colder gardens, then cut them close to ground level in spring as new shoots appear.

Early spring

Cut back old stems as new growth starts, divide crowded clumps and add compost.

Late spring

Plant outside after frost risk has passed; pinch young shoots and install supports if needed.

Early summer

Take softwood cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Summer

Water during dry spells and remove faded flower spikes to encourage further bloom.

Early autumn

Move rooted cuttings or potted divisions under cover before frost if outdoor survival is doubtful.

Late autumn

Mulch outdoor clumps in colder gardens and check that winter rain drains away from the crown.

• Plant behind shorter perennials so the blue flowers rise above the border without hiding smaller plants.
• Combine with ornamental grasses for a loose, late-season planting with contrasting flower and leaf shapes.
• Pair with orange or yellow flowers for strong colour contrast, or with purples and silvers for a cooler scheme.
• Grow in a large container near a seating area where the flowers and visiting wildlife are easy to watch.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, English country, Pollinator garden, Blues and silvers, Modern tropical and Sensory garden.

Plant it with: Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Verbena, Feather reed grass, Dahlia and Catmint.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for bees and butterflies, and are particularly attractive to hummingbirds where these occur in the Americas.

• Slugs and snails can damage emerging shoots; protect new growth with barriers, hand-picking or locally approved iron-phosphate bait.
• Spider mites may cause pale, stippled leaves in hot, dry conditions, especially under cover; rinse leaf undersides and improve growing conditions.
• Winter wet can rot the crown and roots; improve drainage or overwinter a container-grown plant under cover.
• Too much shade or nitrogen can produce weak, floppy stems and fewer flowers; increase sunlight, reduce feeding and support stems early.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, and no particular part is established as poisonous. Species-specific safety information is limited, so do not treat it as an edible sage or allow pets to eat large quantities.

Where it spreads. Can spread aggressively by underground rhizomes in mild-winter gardens, including parts of the southern United States. Keep clumps away from small, delicate plants and remove shoots that spread beyond their allotted space.

• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

  Has dense spikes of many small lavender-purple flowers and strongly anise-scented foliage, rather than the larger, widely spaced blue tubes of anise-scented sage.

• Mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea)

  Usually has narrower leaves and upright spikes of smaller flowers with pale, mealy-looking calyces and stems.

• Bog sage (Salvia uliginosa)

  Has slender stems, narrower leaves and small sky-blue flowers with conspicuous white lower lips; it also tolerates wetter soil.

The epithet guaranitica refers to the Guaraní people of South America, while anise-scented sage describes the scent sometimes released by its crushed leaves.

Propagation. Divide established clumps in spring or take softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer. Seed is possible, but named cultivars may not come true from seed.

Accepted botanical name

Salvia guaranitica

Native range

Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Brazil South, Brazil West-Central, Paraguay and Uruguay.

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