Silver Cloud Texas sage

Sun

Full sun, ideally at least 6-8 hours daily; shade reduces flowering and makes growth loose.

Water

Low once established. Water deeply during establishment, then allow the root zone to dry between waterings.

Soil

Sharply drained sandy, gravelly or rocky soil; tolerates alkaline conditions and poor fertility. Avoid heavy, persistently wet soil.

Height

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Spread

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Flowers

Violet-purple flowers in intermittent flushes from summer into autumn, often following rain or increased humidity.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, oval leaves densely covered in silvery-white hairs, giving the shrub a bright, almost white appearance.

Growth

Slow to moderate, depending on warmth and growing conditions.

Care needed

Low

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

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

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

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

   2.3 ft (0.72 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.7 ft (0.82 m)

5. After 5 years

   3 ft (1 m)

About 7 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

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant in spring after hard frosts, choosing the sunniest, best-drained position available.
• Water deeply through the first growing season, letting the soil dry between soakings; reduce watering once established.
• Avoid routine feeding, especially nitrogen-rich lawn fertiliser, which encourages loose growth.
• Use a thin gravel mulch and keep it clear of the stem bases.
• In cool or rainy climates, use a raised bed or a pot with drainage holes and a gritty growing mix; shelter potted plants from prolonged winter rain and hard frost.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, after the worst frosts, remove dead or damaged stems and lightly shorten wayward shoots. Avoid repeated shearing or severe cuts into old, leafless wood.

Late winter

Check for frost damage, but wait until severe frost has passed before removing damaged growth.

Spring

Plant after hard frosts and lightly prune established shrubs if needed.

Late spring

Check that irrigation is not keeping the root zone continuously damp.

Summer

Water young plants deeply when dry; give established shrubs supplementary water only during extended drought.

Autumn

Reduce watering as temperatures fall and clear debris that traps moisture around the crown.

Winter

Keep container plants in a bright, sheltered position and protect them from prolonged freezing and winter wet.

• Repeat along sunny gravel paths to create a low, silver framework without frequent clipping.
• Combine with agaves and yuccas for contrasting rounded and spiky forms in a dry garden.
• Plant against dark walls or fences where the pale foliage remains conspicuous between flowering flushes.
• Use in a large, freely draining courtyard container in regions with unsuitable winter conditions.

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

Plant it with: Red yucca, Whale's tongue agave, Blackfoot daisy, Damianita, Autumn sage and Desert spoon.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects. The dense branching can provide cover for small garden wildlife.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage before planting, reduce irrigation and avoid sites that collect winter water.
• Frost damage: choose a sheltered position near the cold end of its range and remove dead tips only after hard frosts have passed.
• Sparse flowering and sprawling growth: move to full sun and stop high-nitrogen feeding.
• Bare, twiggy plants after repeated shearing: maintain the natural rounded shape with selective, light pruning instead.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific safety information is limited, so do not treat the leaves or flowers as edible; despite its common name, it is not culinary sage.

• Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)

  Usually has larger leaves and a larger overall habit; its foliage is often grey-green rather than the intensely white, densely woolly foliage of L. candidum. Cultivars can overlap in appearance.

• Chihuahuan sage (Leucophyllum laevigatum)

  Has narrower, greener leaves, a more open habit and much less conspicuously woolly foliage.

• Common sage (Salvia officinalis)

  The culinary herb has strongly aromatic, wrinkled leaves and flowers held in upright spikes, rather than individual flowers nestled among white-felted leaves.

Leucophyllum means 'white-leaved' and candidum means 'bright white', both referring to the pale foliage; Texas sage is a common name, not an indication that it belongs to the true sages.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer and root them in a freely draining medium. Seed-grown plants may vary and will not reliably reproduce the named 'Silver Cloud' selection.

Accepted botanical name

Leucophyllum candidum

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Mexico Northeast and Texas.

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