White Autumn Sage – “Alba” is a marvelous Texas native, that also goes by the common name “Texas Wedding”. It is perennial, and blooms all year long. It can be used in a border, as a blooming perennial, and can also function as a small-to-medium shrub.
If you use it as a shrub, you will need to plan on pruning it regularly so that it puts on lots of foliage, and stays green, and compact in form.
Plant White Autumn Sage – “Alba” – near your patio, by the entrance to your home, or along a pathway where you can enjoy it’s lovely fragrance. The snapdragon-like blooms attract butterflies and bees to your garden.
Growing Conditions:
Light requirement: Full sun, partial sun
Water use: Low
Soil moisture: Dry
Type of soil: Well-draining; sandy, rocky/gravelly
Plant Characteristics:
Family: Lamiaceae (lay-mee-AY-see-ee)
Genus: Salvia (SAL-vee-uh)
Species: greggii (GREG-ee-eye)
Duration: Perennial / Shrub
Habit: Shrub
Size: Up to 5′ tall, 2-4′ wide
Care and Maintenance
We have had Autumn Sage “Alba” in our gardens since 2008 and they have never stopped blooming. This is a terrific plant for North Texas. You can virtually ignore this plant and still have beautiful blooms.
If you want to allow it to form a natural shape, and allow it to grow to full size (about 5′ tall and 3-4′ wide), you will only need to cut it back a couple times a year. Spring and fall will be sufficient.
For a more compact, or trained shape, you can prune your Autumn Sage by up to 1/3 of it’s overall size every few months. Just watch for new growth — of foliage and blooms — before you prune again. (New growth is how you know your plant has recovered from the prior pruning session.)
