Anise sage

Salvia guaranitica

Tall South American sage with dark anise-scented leaves and continuous spires of deep cobalt-blue tubular flowers from midsummer through autumn. One of the most reliable hummingbird and bumblebee plants for warm-temperate gardens.

Hardiness ratings

Anise sage hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 7–10 −17.8 °C to 4.4 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H4 −10 °C to −5 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 8–9 −7 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 3–6 −5 °C to 15 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Native to Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina
  • Distinct from the other Salvia species in the database (S. officinalis, S. elegans, S. nemorosa cultivars, S. greggii, S. yangii) — S. guaranitica is the tall anise-scented blue-flowered Brazilian species
  • Cultivar ‘Black and Blue’ is the standard form in cultivation, with near-black calyces around cobalt-blue flowers
  • Premier hummingbird plant in its native range and across the southern US

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Anise sage against your zones

Reference

Anise sage on Wikipedia