Canary Island Sage is a large shrub native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. It can attain a maximum height of 10', but the average is about 6-8'. The width varies anywhere between 3' and-4'. Its size can be controlled by hard pruning. It's best to prune before it starts to set buds: mid-spring in warmer areas and early summer in the colder areas. The flowers and bracts are a beautiful, showy purplish-pink color. The leaves are large, arrowhead shaped, with white hairs on the undersides, which help it to conserve moisture. It is also fragrant; hard to describe but perhaps similar to California natives? The flowers attract many different pollinators. In my garden it attracts a good diversity of them, including honey bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, as well as wasps. It can be susceptible to disease, such as powdery mildew and others, as well as to pests, such as aphids and whiteflies. It's best to water from below and keep its area clean and try not to plant it too close to other plants. Also, in my garden it reseeds, but not to a point of nuisance.

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"Salvia canariensis (Canary Island sage) is an erect perennial shrub native to the Canary Islands. It can reach 2-2.3 m in height and 1.5 m width in a single season. The triangular leaves are pale green, and the stems and underside of the leaves are covered with long white hairs. The flowers range from pale purple to deep purple magenta."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

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Canary Island Sage (Salvia canariensis) is native to the Canary Islands off the African coast, hence the name.

It's a beautiful Salvia that the hummingbirds and butterflies love, and I'm sure the bees do too!

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