Salvia coahuilensis

Salvia coahuilensis is a shrubby sage that captivates with its spicy fragrance and the dark bluish-purple colour of rare intensity of its velvety small flowers. They bloom almost continuously from June to October if the soil remains slightly moist, in light clusters, on a fine shiny olive green aromatic foliage. Even though its cold resistance is moderate, around -7°C (19.4°F), this still uncommon species works wonders in a dry land massif or in a pot that can be brought indoors in winter. Cultivate it in full sun or partial shade, in well-drained soil. Combine it with varieties of flowers in fuchsia pink or velvet red, with purple or silver foliage, the result exceeds any description.

 Salvia coahuilensis is a woody perennial native to the Sierra Madre Oriental in the Mexican state of Coahuila and belongs to the Lamiaceae family.

Salvia coahuilensis has a naturally bushy and flexible habit that quickly reaches 60cm (24in) in all directions. The flowering, nectar-rich and honey-producing, is generous from late spring to late summer, until the cold puts an end to it. The small elongated flowers stand above the foliage at the end of dark stems, in 20cm (8in) spikes. The corolla with its spicy fragrance measures 2cm (1in) in length and is adorned with a fascinating dark bluish-purple hue of rare intensity, encased in a blackish-purple calyx. They only live for a day, covering the ground with their petals in the evening, but will already be replaced the next morning. The semi-evergreen foliage is composed of small ovate to linear leaves, shiny olive green, thick and aromatic. They sometimes take on pretty yellow and purplish hues in autumn.

The Coahuila sage is a magnificent suckering plant; it develops quite fast, flooding flower beds or terraces with its long-lasting unique violet flowering. It only requires a very well-drained, even mediocre soil, in sunny or semi-shady exposure. The lower light of autumn sublimates the flowering of shrubby salvias, which capture light through their petals like tiny stained-glass windows, lightening up all spring or summer blooms. But its association with pink autumn asters, 'Royal Bumble' salvias, or the wild species S. grahamii with intense fuchsia flowers is truly fabulous. California poppies, tall sedums, red foliage of Loropetalum or silver foliage of Artemisias, sea Cinerarias, and some Euphorbias (Euphorbia 'Ponte Leccia') will compose a fantastic tableau with it. On the terrace, place it in a large pot, right next to a Senecio 'Angel Wings' and foxtail Amaranths: the colour combination is superb!