How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Salvia azurea

As a lover of native plants in my state, I recently fell in love with Salvia azurea, commonly referred to as blue sage or pitcher sage. Very few flowers native to my region are actually blue, and when I learned that this one is low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, I couldn’t pass it up. 

In areas where conditions in summer are harsh and dry, this plant really thrives. It continues to bloom even when conditions are intense, providing nectar for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Just as other salvia plants do, this one is great for rock gardens and dry areas.

Growing this plant is a breeze. You don’t have to maintain it much, and it’s practically pest-resistant. As a shorter-statured plant, it fits into many different types of gardens and grows well in containers, too. If you love sage, don’t skip this one!

Blue Sage Overview

Plant Type

Herbaceous perennial

Native Area

South and Central US

Exposure

Full sun to partial shade

Watering Requirements

Low

Pests & Diseases

No significant issues

What Is It?

Butterflies love the blooms.

Local ecologists love this plant due to its ability to thrive in harsh desert conditions and rocky areas. This sage is commonly known as blue sage and pitcher sage, after Doctor Zina Pitcher, who was an army field surgeon and amateur botanist in the 19th century. 

Characteristics

Tall flower spikes appear in summer.

The most striking characteristic of this perennial salvia is its sky-blue tubular blooms that sit atop tall spikes, up to five feet tall in optimal conditions. In harsh areas, the plants remain on the smaller side, topping out at a few feet. The leaves are plentiful, lanceolate, slightly soft, and silvery. Like other plants in the mint family, the stems are square. 

The roots are what make it such a desirable plant for drought-stricken gardens. They tend to grow up to eight feet deep, tapping into water deep below the surface of the soil. Ecologists have noted this plant tends to double its root depth in response to dry conditions. It’s also deer and rabbit-resistant. 

The plant reproduces via seeds that form in the spent flowers and via rhizomes. 

Native Area

It is native to drought-tolerant regions.

The native range of this plant goes from North Carolina south to Florida, west to Texas, and north to Nebraska and Minnesota. While it thrives in areas where rain is scarce, it will also thrive in semi-moist soils in that range. It has only recently garnered interest among home gardeners who look to drought-tolerance as an optimal trait for new plantings. 

Planting

Plant in an area where you want to attract pollinators.

With vigorous roots and a hardy disposition, Salvia azurea is easy to plant, whether from seed or by transplant. Choose a spot in a rock garden, container, or anywhere you know hungry pollinators frequent – especially in the middle of the summer. 

Transplanting

The soil should be well-draining.

Planting young plants, or fully-grown ones, in your garden is very easy. Wait for a mild spring or fall day. You don’t have to waste time amending soil in raised beds or in-ground beds unless the soil tends to be very rich and heavy. In this case, add agricultural grit or sand. A basic potting soil is perfect for containers. Dig a hole the same size as the container it’s currently growing in. 

All you need to do is gently free the transplant from its nursery pot and use your hands to loosen the roots. If the Salvia azurrea you’re dealing with is root-bound, cut the bottom inch off the root ball. Then lower the plant into the hole, and fill in the space around it with soil. 

Use your foot to gently press the perimeter of the plant into the hole, and water it in. Then fill in any depressions with more soil. 

Growing from Seed

The seeds require cold stratification.

Cultivating Salvia azurea from seed is more difficult than transplanting, but it’s not at all impossible. Cold stratify seeds for four to eight weeks in the refrigerator in spring, or sow them directly in the garden in fall. Then plant them in starter pots or seed cell trays, and the seedlings will emerge in two to four weeks. Transplant them after the threat of frost has passed. 

How to Grow

Because this is such a hardy plant, it will be easier to care for if you don’t coddle it or give it too much moisture. We’ll touch on the specifics below, but caring for this plant is much like caring for other salvia plants. 

Light

Choose an area with full sun.

Full sun, at six to eight hours per day, is a must for blue sage. It can handle shade, but it prefers lots of sun – even harsh afternoon sun. In lower light conditions, the plant gets lanky and can become floppy. If you’re unsure where to plant yours, start in a container and move it around to find the optimal spot before planting it in the ground. 

Water

Very little additional watering is needed.

Here’s where this plant gets tricky. It doesn’t need much water through the growing season. Water it in at transplant, and then give it water once per week to help it establish itself. Then let the rain do the watering for you. In areas where it rains often, ensure your plant has well-draining soil to prevent rot. 

Hardly any additional water is needed, even in drought. 

Soil

Rocky soil is ideal for these plants.

A rocky or sandy and well-draining soil is ideal for Salvia azurea. However, some organic matter in the planting area will be just fine. As mentioned above, if the soil is very rich and the region tends to be very rainy, amend with agricultural sand or grit. 

Temperature and Humidity

It grows best in USDA zones 5 to 9.

Pitcher sage handles heat in the triple digits, along with cold down to -20°F (-29°C). You won’t need to shelter it from either in its hardiness range of zones 5 through 9. In colder areas, mulch around the base of the plant, and provide cover through extreme cold. It will be easier to plant in a container in zones 4 and below.  

Plants in humid areas may suffer from fungal and bacterial diseases on foliage if the soil isn’t dry enough. 

Fertilizing

They don’t require any additional feeding.

Whatever you do, don’t fertilize this plant! In optimal conditions, it will take over. Instead, simply side-dress plants annually in spring with well-rotted compost. You don’t even have to do that, though. But if you want to give your blue sage a boost, it will help. 

Maintenance

Cut the plants back to improve growth.

In early spring, cut plants back to a foot or two to improve the shape and growth. Plants grown in the shade or in too-rich soil can get floppy. Either stake the plants or trim them back to promote lateral growth. If you notice any spots or lesions on leaves in humid or moist areas, prune these away. 

Propagation

Not only is this an easy plant to grow, but it’s also an easy plant to propagate. Because it’s hard to find in the nursery trade, knowing how to propagate Salvia azurea from cuttings and via division is a good skill to have. It may be the only way you get to grow it in your garden.  

Cuttings

Grow new plants from cuttings in spring.

Snip off a six to eight-inch cutting from a healthy plant in spring. Remove all but the top two or three sets of leaves and remove any buds or blooms. Plant cuttings in small pots, filled with a soilless mix. There’s no need to use rooting hormone. Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged, and cuttings should root within two to six weeks. 

Division

Split larger clumps into smaller sections.

Wait for a mild spring or fall day, and unearth plants that have produced offsets. Look for root divisions, and use a pair of sterilized shears or a garden knife to separate root sections that have above-ground growth. Then plant your divisions where you’d like and water them in.  

Popular Varieties

There aren’t many cultivars available.

There’s just one interesting variety of Salvia azurea out there, as it’s not a common plant to find in the nursery trade. This variety is called ‘Nekan’, and it has more robust growth and larger, bluer flowers than the straight species. It was developed by the USDA in 1977, and seeds can be found at select distributors.  

Common Problems

Look out for root rot in waterlogged soil.

There’s only one problem to look out for with this plant: root rot and fungal diseases related to overwatering and high humidity. In areas where rain and humidity are plentiful, prune for airflow, and remove leaves that take on any lesions. If plants begin to decline rapidly, uproot them and look to see if there are still healthy, whitish root masses. 

If so, remove the decayed and browned root and pot up your plant in a basic potting soil. Replant it in a sandier, more well-draining soil once it recovers. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Most salvias are attractive to rabbits, but they tend to only nibble the stems. They won’t take out your blue sage plant.

In optimal conditions, yes, it will spread via seed and rhizomes.

Yes, this plant returns year after year in its hardiness zones of 5 through 9.

Salvia azurea grows three to five feet tall.