Photo of the Day: Texas Sage

My neighbor’s Texas sage went crazy after the recent rain, as did many around town.

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Leucophyllum frutescens (and my neighbor’s may be the candidium, or “Silver Cloud” variety with silvery foliage) isn’t actually related to the salvia genus. It’s a figwort, and some of those are medicinal herbs which have been used in traditional healing and whose benefits have been scientifically proven!

The Gilbert, AZ xeriscape handout on Leucophyllum says,

“Texas sages are among the most reliable and fool-proof of the low water use plants available in Arizona.”

We have a handful of them in our yard, too, and I’d have to agree. We’ve done nothing to them since planting them. However, our landscapers like to shape them and they don’t flower nearly as densely as when left to grow naturally. I’ve been meaning to ask them to let them go native!

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