Salvia forreri

Salvia forreri is a perennial sage native to Mexico and Texas, and little known to gardeners. It is a suckering, aromatic and flowering plant, perfectly adapted to dry soils. It spreads through suckers and quickly forms a beautiful ground cover of light green and shiny leaves. Its main asset is a very long summer and autumn flowering period, particularly bright in light blue and white. Very useful as a border plant in a dry garden, perfect in a rockery, this sun-loving and heat-loving sage is an excellent perennial for mild climates. In colder regions, it can be grown in a container, which allows it to be stored indoors during severe frosts.

Forrer's sage endemic to several provinces in Mexico where it grows between 6,500 and 9,500 meters (21 and 31 feet) above sea level, is sometimes considered a subspecies of Salvia arizonica. It is a perennial herbaceous species and stoloniferous that tolerates sun and drying, rocky, even limestone soils. Like all other sages, it belongs to the large family of lamiaceae or labiates. Its foliage is semi-evergreen, its leafy stems form clumps that can cover 80 cm (32in) in diameter, or even more over the years. Its growth is very rapid; a plant will double in size within the year of planting. It produces from June-July to October (with a break during the height of summer in dry and hot climates) loose spike-like inflorescences, reaching a height of 30 cm. The small bilabiate flowers are light blue, adorned with a small white spot in the centre. They are honey-bearing and nectar-bearing, and are highly prized by butterflies and bees. The small leaves are ovate to oblong, puckered, rough, with serrated edges, forming a beautiful foliage. They are fairly light green, slightly glossy, and contain a fragrant essential oil, noticeable when crushed. 

Salvia forreri is vigorous enough to withstand weed competition once established. It excels on dry slopes where it helps to stabilize the soil, and works wonders as an edge plant in well-drained soil. It is a very resistant plant, tolerating spartan growing conditions, but dreads cold and wet weather. Along borders or in rockeries, for example, combine this plant with aubrietas, thymes, Iberis, santolines or even Erigeron karvinskianus. Also, pair with old roses and Nepeta faassenii, Lychnis coronaria, light grasses.

With over 900 species of annuals, perennials, and shrubs, distributed worldwide except in very cold regions and tropical forests, the Salvia genus is the most diverse variety in the lamiaceae family. The name Salvia, dating back to Roman times, derives from the Latin salvus 'healthy' in reference to the medicinal properties of common sage.