Silverado Sage Plant Care
'Silverado sage' is a trademarked cultivar of Leucophyllum frutescens, which also is called the Texas barometer bush, according to Texas A&M University. This sage has frosted bright green foliage and purple flowers during the summer and early autumn. If you plan to add a 'Silverado sage' to your home landscape, check that you live in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8 to 10 or the plant will not thrive. Does this Spark an idea?
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Light
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The 'Silverado sage' plant thrives in lighting conditions from full sun to partial shade, according to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. As a plant native to the deserts of Texas it is well-adapted to the bright and sometimes harsh conditions from reflective sand or rocky soil. If your yard or garden lacks full sun or you have a specific location in mind, the plant will bear partial shade if it receives at least three to four hours of sunlight a day.
Pruning
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Due to its bushy and quick growth habit, Texas sage often is shaped into hedges with vigorous pruning, according to Texas A&M University. While the plant will tolerate it, excessive shearing or pruning slows growth and lowers the amount of flower buds the plant produces. Clip only unusually long stems and dead leaves or flowers from the plant. Moderate and gentle trimming speeds up growth and encourages the plant to produce more flowers during the summer months.
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Water
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Adapted to the extra dry conditions of the Texas desert, 'Silverado sage' does not like daily watering. Leucophyllum frutescens prefers very little moisture once it is established or it develops weak stems and flops over. Overwatered plants rarely blossom. Clay or loamy soils trap water around the roots, so plant your Silverado sage in soil that drains very well. Containers should have a layer of gravel to ensure the roots don't become rotted or waterlogged.
Diseases & Pests
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The Silverado sage is highly resistant to the pests and diseases that affect other sage varieties. Only cotton root rot affects this sage, says Texas A&M University. Keeping the soil around the roots well-drained and relatively dry prevents it. Cotton root rot is caused by a common soil fungus that grows only in moist conditions. Your sage plant will slowly wither and die once infected, and only a early dose of fungicide will save an infected plant.
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