Salvia 'Allen Chickering' – California Native Sage

Salvia 'Allen Chickering' – California Native Sage

Allen Chickering is a lovely California native hybrid of Cleveland sage and purple sage, combining intensely fragrant gray-green foliage with tall spikes of deep lavender flowers arranged in tiered whorls. Its dense, rounded form makes an excellent backdrop for sunny native gardens and waterwise borders, bringing bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the late-spring and summer display. Give this aromatic shrub full sun, well-drained soil, and room to develop its broad mound. Water during establishment, then reduce to occasional summer irrigation or less once established. Cut young plants back by about one-third in winter to encourage dense growth; tip-prune mature woody plants rather than cutting hard into old stems.

Key Features:

• Evergreen perennial shrub and California native hybrid
• Parentage: Salvia clevelandii x Salvia leucophylla
• Strongly aromatic gray-green foliage
• Deep lavender flower whorls in late spring and summer
• Drought tolerant once established and deer resistant
• Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
• Excellent for native gardens, waterwise borders, and habitat planting

Growing Details:
Height: 4–5 ft | Spread: 4–5 ft or more with age
Exposure: Full sun | Water: Low once established; occasional summer irrigation or less
Bloom time: Late spring–summer | Bloom color: Deep lavender
USDA Hardiness Zone: 8–10