Description

Salvia spathacea, hummingbird sage, occurs sporadically in California’s coastal mountains from San Francisco to San Diego. It grows as a spreading clump of large dark green leaves which are rough textured, fragrant and slightly sticky. The leaves reach about two feet in height. The tall magenta flowers rise singly from the dark foliage. These are quite attractive to hummingbirds which will fiercely defend their patch. Hummingbird sage is an excellent candidate for dry shade, especially under oaks. If given ample shade it can be naturalized. In San Jose I have found that hummingbird sage looks best with just a few hours of sun each day during the growing season. A particularly low-growing population may be seen on Mount San Bruno in San Mateo County.