Product Review

Salvia Apiana. Commonly known as California White Sage. Also known as desert sage or sacred sage, this is an extremely pungent, delicious White Sage native to the mountains and deserts of California. Bushy plants with thick stems and dusty gray-green foliage are great for bee and wildlife forage. Great for smudging and blessing, Salvia apiana is prized for its strong aromatic qualities! This perennial evergreen adds a wonderful "presence" to the garden! Your sage plant can grow up to 3 feet wide and will have summer flower stalks reaching 6'-7'! California White Sage is a surprisingly adaptable plant. It has been reported to handle temps down to 15 degrees and up to 115 degrees or more and is incredibly drought tolerant! For cooler climates you will want to winter the plant indoors or mulch heavily. It prefers full sun and well drained almost sandy soil. For best results your seeds should be cold stratified in a refrigerator for 2-4 weeks. Plant seeds in flats or in pots in an appropriate planting soil. Seeds respond to light, so plant seeds at the soil surface or plant 1/8 to 1/4 in a well-drained soil mix. After planting, soak the soil thoroughly, and then water sparingly as needed making sure that the soil never completely dries out. Seeds germinate in 2-3 weeks at 20 to 30° C (68 to 86° F) around the clock. Plant your seedlings into 2" or 4" pots after they grow 2-4 leaves beyond the cotyledons. Water as needed, but do not over water. Salvia apiana plants grow rapidly. They are usually ready to transplant outdoors in about 6 months. Hardiness zones: 6-9. Sage is used like incense; its leaves are burned and will produce a wonderful fragrant smoke. Medicinally used for skin washes and as a natural deodorant. Mild tea made from the leaves have been used by natives as a general tonic.