Common Name: candelabrum sage
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Lamiaceae
Native Range: Spain
Zone: 8 to 10
Height: 3.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to September
Bloom Description: Violet blue
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Annual
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Fragrant
Tolerate: Deer, Drought
Culture
Winter hardy to USDA Zones 8-10 where it may be grown in average, evenly moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It prefers sandy loams with sharp drainage. Some tolerance for drought. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage additional bloom. In St. Louis, this salvia is best grown in containers as a tender perennial that is overwintered indoors in cool sunny areas with consistent but reduced moisture. Cuttings may be taken and overwintered indoors. Although it may be grown as an annual (start seed indoors 6-8 weeks before last spring frost date), seed is often hard to find in commerce because this salvia is infrequently grown in the U.S.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Salvia candelabrum is a woody based sage that native to Spain. It produces whorls of two-lipped, tubular, violet-blue flowers (to 1 1/2" long) in branched inflorescences atop long thin stems rising well above a clump of aromatic, wrinkled, lanceolate leaves. It typically grows 3-4’ tall. Blooms mid-summer to fall.
The genus name Salvia comes from the Latin word salveo meaning "to save or heal", in reference to the purported medically curative properties attributed to some plants in the genus.
Specific epithet means with branching like a candelabra.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to downy and powdery mildew. Aphids, whiteflies and slugs may appear.
Uses
Mixed borders, beds. Cottage gardens. Herb gardens.