Mealy Blue Sage

Salvia farinacea

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Mealy Blue Sage is a perennial native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 2–3 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide. It wants full sun and low water, and handles caliche and clay soil. Blooms blue in Apr–Oct. Deer rarely browse it. Good for butterflies and hummingbirds.

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Upright perennial with blue-violet flower spikes from spring through fall, silvery foliage.

Why it works here

Blooms nearly continuously with no deadheading, and native bees work it heavily.

Watch out

Gets floppy in rich soil. Shear by a third mid-summer to keep it compact.

The facts

7 sources

Type: Perennial
Sun: Full sun (6+ hrs)
Water: Low
Height: 2–3 ft
Spread: 2–3 ft
Bloom: Apr–Oct · blue
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Takes caliche and clay · recorded on clay, limestone, loam, sand, well drained
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it. Aromatic foliage
Wildlife: Supports butterflies and hummingbirds

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaLimestone Cut Plain

4,890 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

2.5–4.5 inch pots

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.