Baby sage is a charming evergreen shrub that’s stays compact. It has red flowers that bloom much of the year and attract wildlife of all kinds. Here’s everything you need to know about growing this appealing Arizona native in this complete care guide.
Baby sage (Salvia microphylla) is a small shrub with bright green leaves and dainty flower stalks that would not look out of place in a typical cottage garden. But in fact, it’s a resilient native of southern Arizona and the mountains of Mexico.
Baby sage is a low-maintenance plant that keeps its attractive, mounding form with minimal pruning and produces no obvious litter.
It’s a great plant for attracting wildlife. Its small but brilliant tubular flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. It is also an important host plant for many native moths. Small songbirds eat its seeds.
Unlike many plants with “sage” in their name, baby sage is a true sage (i.e., member of the Salvia genus). It has a somewhat minty herbal aroma which seems to repel deer, rabbits, and javelinas.
Why I Like This Plant
- Bright evergreen foliage
- Flowers come in a rainbow of options
- Low maintenance
- Stays compact, won’t outgrow its space
- No thorns, no litter, non-toxic
- Attracts birds, butterflies, bees
Things to Watch Out For
Baby sage comes in cultivars of many colors, but they are not always as hardy as the parent plant.
Other than the cultivar “Hot Lips”, it’s not commonly found at nurseries. You’re much more likely to come across its look-alike cousin autumn sage. And that’s too bad, especially for those of us in southern Arizona, since it’s an Arizona native.
To keep this plant looking tidy, you should ideally deadhead spent flower stalks. Since they are small, this is not an onerous task — however there are usually a lot of them!
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding baby sage to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep your plant healthy and looking good… while minimizing maintenance for you.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Baby sage should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 – 11. It is cold-hardy down to around 10°F. However, it suffers from heat stress once the temperature hits 110℉ and should not be planted in the hottest spots in your yard.
Sun Exposure
Baby sage does best in part shade or morning sun. It will struggle with either reflected sun or all day full sun, especially in the summer. Additionally, it won’t be happy in full shade.
Size and Growth Rate
Baby sage is considered a moderate-to-faster grower that typically stays around 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide. It usually reaches full size within the second year.
Soil
Baby sage is not particular about soil, provided it’s well-draining. In its native habitat, it grows in rocky soil.
Other Location Considerations
Because it has no thorns, is non-toxic, and litter-free, it’s a plant you can feel comfortable placing near a pool, sidewalk, or anywhere it might come in contact with pets and people.
It can be grown in a large container.
Baby Sage:
The Essentials
| Common Name | Baby sage |
| Scientific Name | Salvia microphylla |
| Origin | Arizona, Mexico, Central America |
| Plant Type | Evergreen shrub |
| USDA Zones | Zones 7 – 10 |
| Cold Hardy | To 10℉ |
| Flower Color | Red, various |
| Flower Season | Spring, summer, fall |
| Mature Size | 3’ high x 4’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Part sun |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Pests & Diseases | None |
| Garden Friendly | No thorns, no litter, non-toxic |
| Wildlife | Attracts bees, birds, butterflies, moths |
How to Plant
The rule of thumb when planting any shrub in the desert is to dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system.
When to Plant
The best time to plant baby sage is in the fall. This gives your shrub three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.
The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives your plant time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.
How to Care for Baby Sage
Whether you’ve recently planted a baby sage or have an existing plant in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water New Plants
Once you’ve got your baby sage in the ground, watering is your most immediate concern. Here is the recommended watering schedule for new shrubs planted in the spring or fall.
| Weeks 1 & 2 | Every 3 – 4 days |
| Weeks 3 & 4 | Every 6 – 7 days |
| Weeks 5 & 6 | Every 7 – 10 days |
| Weeks 7 & 8 | Every 10 – 14 days |
After week 8, gradually extend the time between waterings.
How to Water Established Plants
As your shrub gets established, there are two watering factors to consider.
- First is how often to water. This will vary with the seasons.
- Second is how much water to give your shrub with each watering. This depends on the current size of your plant.
To determine the ideal watering schedule for any desert shrub, you’ll find everything you need to know, including easy-to-use charts, at How to Water Desert Shrubs: How Often? How Much?
Should You Fertilize?
You don’t have to fertilize baby sage, but fertilizing will help it withstand summer heat and encourage flowering.
How to Prune
Baby sage has a naturally attractive mounding form, and since it’s a small plant, it’s very easy to keep it in shape.
Prune it back to 4 inches in the late winter and cut it back by half in August to shape, invigorate, and remove any damaged branches.
You can remove spent flower stalks anytime they’re done blooming. This will result in a tidier looking plant and will encourage more flowers.
Don’t Confuse Baby Sage With…
Baby sage is frequently (i.e., “almost always”) confused with autumn sage (Salvia greggii). These plants have so much in common that it’s hard to tell them apart. Both are medium-size salvias that have small tubular red flowers that pollinators love. Both plants easily hybridize, including with each other, and come in a wide variety of colors.
Plant experts say the main way to tell them apart is by their leaves. Baby sage’s leaves have serrated edges, while autumn sage’s leaves have smooth edges. (Not a lot to go on, is it?) 😉
But practically speaking, it shouldn’t much matter to gardeners since these plants not only look alike, they have nearly identical care requirements.
Baby Sage Cultivars
Since baby sage plants readily hybridize, there are a surprising number of cultivars you may encounter when plant shopping.
‘Hot lips’ (Salvia × jamensis) is a hybrid cross between baby sage and autumn sage. It has eye-catching two-tone red and white flowers. It is so popular that you’re more likely to see it for sale than the baby sage species.
Here are some of the other cultivars you may come across when plant shopping:
- ‘Berzerkeley‘
- ‘Dancing Dolls’
- ‘Flower Child’
- ‘Heatwave Glow’
- ‘Mesa Azure‘
- ‘San Carlos Festival‘
- ‘UCB‘
- ‘Wild Watermelon‘
Before you buy other colors, be aware that cultivars may not be as resilient as the parent plant.
Plant Lover Facts
Baby sage (Salvia microphylla) also goes by the common names littleleaf sage and blackcurrant sage. It’s species name microphylla means “small leaved” in Greek. And when the leaves are crushed, it’s thought they smell like blackcurrants.
Baby sage is native to Arizona, Mexico, and Central America. It has naturalized in small pockets of Europe and Africa along the Mediterranean, and in South America and New Zealand.
Reportedly, parts of autumn sage are edible. The flowers can be eaten, and the leaves can be used to make tea. But I haven’t tried either, so I can’t attest to how tasty they are.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for over 15 years.
