Salvia clevelandii 'Allen Chickering'

Salvia clevlandii ‘Allen Chickering’

This attractive shrub is the hybrid of two Southern California native Sages, clevlandii and leucophylla, making it ideal to grow in the coastal scrublands of California. It was introduced to the commercial nursery market by Allen Chickering, Head of the Santa Ana Botanical Garden. Salvia clevelandii ‘Allen Chickering’s ‘ flower spikes are decorated spring through late summer with whorls of lovely lavender flowers that are irresistible to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The grey green leaves emit a lovely sage fragrance due to the high levels of oil content that contribute to the drought and heat resistance of this plant.

This upright mounding bush loves full sun, well drained, dry soil, and will grow vigorously as a border, background, or screen in your landscape. It grows well in Sunset Zones 10-24, and will grow to 5’ wide and 5’ tall in a few years. It is a great companion to Lavender, Lupine, Achillea, Rosemary, and many other Mediterranean climate perennials. The blue-purple flowers contrast well with yellow or orange flowering plants found in the California landscape such as California Poppy, or Mimulus species. The soft grey green foliage contrasts with brighter, shiny greens such as Ceanothus or Arctostaphylos species.

We are growing Salvia clevelandii ‘AllenChickering’ in one gallon containers. Give us a call, check out our website www.clearwatercolor.com and follow us on Facebook to see what’s happening around the nursery.