Image – Flickr / peganum
Does it rain a little in your area? Then you will have to choose plants that resist drought, and one of them is the Salvia chamaedryoidesknown by the name of Mexican blue sage. This is a species that does not grow much more than about fifty centimeters, and since it is also evergreen, it is ideal for use, for example, as a low hedge, as well as of course as a potted plant.
Its leaves are much smaller than those of other salviassince you live in a place where it rains less. Therefore, having smaller foliage means that it does not need as much water.
What is the origin of the Salvia chamaedryoides?
Image – Wikimedia Commons / Stan Shebs
This is a perennial plant grows wild in Mexico. To be more exact, lives in the Sierra Madre Oriental, in the arid and semi-arid regions of the areaand at a very high altitude above sea level, since we will find it between 2100 and 2800 meters. This is very interesting, because when a plant grows at such high altitudes, it has to be able to resist not only the cold, but also sub-zero temperatures.
And in the case of our protagonist, this is undoubtedly the case, since it can withstand frosts of up to -14ºC. Therefore, it is not only interesting to grow it outdoors all year round, but it is also the most recommended, since it could have problems inside the house due to the fact that temperatures remain more or less stable at all times.
How is it?
The Salvia chamaedryoides is a plant that can measure, at most, 60 centimeters in height about the same width. The leaves are small, about a centimeter long, and grayish green. Its flowers are blue-purple, measure about 2 centimeters, and sprout mainly in summer and autumn, although they can also do so in spring.
It bears some resemblance to Teucrium; in fact they look so much alike that they belong to the botanical family: Lamiaceae. But its origin is different: our protagonist is native only to Mexico, but Teucriums grow in many parts of the world, including America and Europe.
What are the care of the Salvia chamaedryoides?
Image – Wikimedia Commons / David J. Stang
The blue Mexican sage is a plant suitable for beginners, since as we said, it does not want a lot of water. But in any case, it is important that we talk about them, about how we can keep it healthy so that it produces its beautiful flowers.
Location
It’s a type of sage which we will put it outdoors and in full sun. Thus, you can grow without any problem; that is, without its stems having to develop excessively and weaken in an attempt to capture more light, which is what would happen if it were placed in the shade or indoors.
It can be potted or in the ground, but yes it is necessary that the soil is loose and light. Let us remember that its natural habitat is deserts, where the soil is sandy; so we can’t plant it in a very compact soil or it will die.
If it is going to be in a pot, we will put a mixture of peat with perlite, or a quality universal substrate such as Flower, for example, that you can buy from here!.
Irrigation
Irrigation of the Salvia chamaedryoides it has to be rather scarce. As it is a plant that resists drought but not excess water, it is important that we water it almost as if it were a cactus. If the cacti are only watered when the soil is dry, with our protagonist we will have to do more or less the same, with the difference that we must prevent it from drying out completely.
Or put another way: if when we insert a wooden stick into the ground we see that it comes out practically the same as it entered, that is, almost clean, then we will water. But what we can’t do is wait for it to dry out so much that it “peels” off the edges of the pot, or cracks.
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You can pay it during the spring and summer months, which is when it is growing. In addition, it will be a way to make it grow a little faster, and that it has more energy that it can spend on producing more flowers. But yes, it is very important that it is paid as indicated on the product packaging, since we are not going to make it better by adding more, but rather the opposite: we could be left without a plant.
Use ecological fertilizers, especially if you have your plant in the ground, such as manure or compost. In this way, the native fauna (insects and others) will not be harmed.
Planting time
Image – Wikimedia/Stickpen
The right time to plant Salvia chamaedryoides on the ground or in a larger container it will be when the winter is overand not only that, but the risk of frost must have passed as well.
Rusticity
Withstands cold up to -14ºCas well as snowfall.
Have you heard of the Salvia chamaedryoides? How about?
