Jerusalem sage

Sun

Full sun; light shade is tolerated, but flowering and growth are better in sun.

Water

Water regularly during establishment, allowing the soil to dry somewhat between waterings. Once established, water deeply only during prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil; tolerates chalk and poor soil. Avoid waterlogged ground, especially in winter.

Height

3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m)

Spread

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Flowers

Bright yellow, hooded flowers in stacked whorls from late spring through early summer, sometimes continuing into midsummer.

Foliage

Opposite, wrinkled, grey-green leaves with a soft, woolly covering. Usually evergreen in mild climates, but may lose leaves or suffer shoot dieback in cold winters.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

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

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 ft (0.61 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.4 ft (0.72 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.7 ft (0.83 m)

5. After 5 years

   3 ft (1.1 m)

   full size

About 5 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

Moderate

• Plant in a sunny position with free drainage; use a raised bed if your soil stays wet.
• Water through the first growing season whenever the root zone becomes dry.
• Once established, avoid frequent irrigation and allow the soil to dry between deep waterings.
• Do not routinely feed; rich soil and heavy feeding encourage loose growth.
• Use gravel mulch if needed, keeping it clear of the woody stem bases.

Pruning. In spring, once severe frosts have passed, remove dead or damaged shoots and lightly shorten straggly growth to leafy shoots. After flowering, trim lightly for shape if needed, avoiding hard cuts into bare old wood.

Spring

Plant once severe frosts have passed, choosing a sunny site with excellent drainage.

Spring

Check for winter damage and prune back affected shoots to healthy growth.

Late spring

Water new plants during dry weather; avoid routinely watering established shrubs.

Summer

After the main flowering flush, trim lightly or leave the dry flower stems for structure.

Summer

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

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from around the crown and check that water drains away freely.

• Use as a rounded structural shrub in gravel gardens, paired with lavender and rock roses.
• Repeat along a sunny path or terrace edge for a loose, informal rhythm.
• Combine with purple-flowered salvias for a strong yellow-and-purple contrast.
• Plant among ornamental grasses so its broad, woolly leaves contrast with fine foliage.
• Leave selected dry flower stems standing to add shape to a Mediterranean-style winter border.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Modern Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Desert / xeriscape, Pollinator garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Lavender, Rock rose, Rosemary, Purple sage, Yarrow and Blue oat grass.

Wildlife: The flowers attract bees, especially bumblebees. Its dense, evergreen growth also provides cover for small garden wildlife.

• Root rot and winter losses in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised, gravelly bed; reduce irrigation.
• Frost-damaged leaves and shoots: choose a sheltered position and wait until spring growth appears before removing dead wood.
• Sparse flowering and floppy growth: provide more sun, stop nitrogen-rich feeding and avoid excessive watering.
• Leafhoppers may cause pale stippling on leaves: tolerate minor damage and encourage predators; extensive treatment is rarely needed.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses; no plant parts are established as poisonous. It is not a culinary sage, and safety information for substantial ingestion is limited.

• Turkish sage (Phlomis russeliana)

  A herbaceous perennial with large, greener, heart-shaped basal leaves and tall flowering stems; Jerusalem sage forms a woody shrub with smaller, grey-green leaves.

• Woolly Jerusalem sage (Phlomis lanata)

  Usually a smaller, more compact shrub with shorter, rounder, densely woolly leaves; Jerusalem sage has longer, more pointed leaves.

• Common sage (Salvia officinalis)

  Has strongly aromatic culinary leaves and usually violet-blue flowers in spikes, rather than yellow flowers arranged in distinct whorls.

The botanical epithet fruticosa means shrubby, describing its woody growth; despite its common name, Jerusalem sage is not a true sage of the genus Salvia.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer and root them in a free-draining medium. Seed can also be sown in spring, but seedlings take longer to reach flowering size.

Accepted botanical name

Phlomis fruticosa

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Greece, Italy, Kriti, Sardegna, Sicilia, Transcaucasus, Turkey and Yugoslavia.

Measured

Average height 80 cm.

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