Salvia greggii 'Furman's Red'

 
Latin Name: Salvia greggii 'Furman's Red'
Common Name: Furman's Red Autumn Sage, Cherry Sage
Mature Height (ft): 24-36"
Mature Width: 24-30"

Mature Shape

Shorter woody perennial shrub.
Mulch: Inorganic.

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Remarks

If I had to pick my favorite plant, this is it. Long blooming and drought tolerant with only minimal maintenance of late winter cutting back, and maybe a bloom pick-me-up deadheading at mid summer. It will also re seed some so you’ll have more of them the next year. It’s fragrance is light and pleasantly of sage. Salvia greggiis are native to Texas in the Kerrville area. It is my favorite, but not the absolutely perfect plant. The stems are quite brittle and very easily break or snap off, even when you’re carefully weeding around it. It will grow quite woody after a few years, therefore, I have found it beneficial to prune it back to a half or third in early spring every other, or every third year.

The red tubular flowers are a hummingbird magnet.

I have not seen it susceptible to insects or disease.

There are many other Salvia greggii’s, available in pinks, white, purple, coral, orange and other shades of red, many of them not cold hardy for our climate, some ranging from Zone 5 and 6, but most to Zone 7 -10. Be careful of the variety and cold hardy zone. I've noticed the flassier or glossier the leaves, the less cold hardy they are, but this is merely an un-scientific observation.

 

Use in Garden

Sun to part shade low water-use bed or border. Xeric Bed, xeristrip, native plant garden, habitat garden. Hummingbird garden.

Maintenance

Cut back to a third in late winter every second or third year. Shearing the flower stems off at mid summer isn't necessary for repeat blooms. After a summer rain, or a once a month irrigating, it continues to bloom.