Heatwave Blaze Autumn Sage

The Heatwave™ Autumn Sage series was bred in Australia to perform in hot dry climates. Because it has the Texas native Salvia greggii in its parentage, this is considered a Texas nativar plant.

Heatwave™ Blaze is notable for maintaining a dense, compact shape. It is a fast grower to 2½-3′ tall and 3′ wide. In our area of Zone 8b, it’s a perennial that reliably comes back every spring. The dark burgundy red flowers bloom spring through fall. Deadheading does help to increase flower rebloom. Give it a haircut if it gets too leggy in late summer. Autumn sages have tons of nectar in the blooms, so expect it to bring all the pollinators to your garden including hummingbirds.

Plant Heatwave Blaze sage in a sunny location either in containers or in the ground in soil that drains well.  It’s tolerant of clay soils, but just doesn’t want to be in a soil that’s constantly waterlogged. It’s drought tolerant, but has to be well watered the first few months after planting as it gets established.

Autumn sages’ leaves and flowers are edible.

Fun Fact:  In the wild, autumn sage has a long, narrow range from southwest Texas throughout the Chihuahua deserts into the province of San Luis Potosí in Mexico.  It’s found in rocky soils in sunny, dry locations at elevations of 5,000-9,000 feet.  It was first described by Asa Gray in 1870 who named it to honor J. Gregg, a Mexican trader who found and collected the salvia in Texas.  Salvia greggii was introduced to cultivation in 1885 and became popular on the US West Coast in the 1980s.

This plant in 1-gallon containers is about 1′ tall and wide.

Hardiness Zone 6 – 9