Perennial · Deer-resistant
Cedar Sage
Salvia roemeriana
Also called: Roemer's Sage
A little scarlet sage made for the dry shade under cedar and oak — one of the few natives that lights up those difficult spots with true red bloom.
Growing & care
Happiest in filtered light and rocky, alkaline soil. Reseeds gently. Water through the first summer, then leave it be.
Bloom season
In bloom: Mar–Jun, Sep–Oct · Colors: red
Where to buy
Look for cedar sage (Salvia roemeriana) at: native Texas nurseries, Prairie Moon Nursery.
Sources
Range, nomenclature, and the USDA symbol above come from the federal plant record for this species. Check it yourself:
Good for
Plant it with
Natives that pair with cedar sage
Same conditions, same uses — species that share cedar sage's growing requirements and belong in the same bed.
Texas Betony
Stachys coccinea
Soft mounds of felted leaves send up scarlet flower spikes for months, thriving in the part shade where few hummingbird plants will bloom..
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Spikes of the most intense scarlet of any native flower, rising from moist shade in late summer.
Horseherb
Calyptocarpus vialis
A soft, low groundcover that quietly replaces lawn in the shade where turf fails, threading tiny yellow flowers through its foliage for pollinators nearly year-round..
Scarlet Sage
Salvia coccinea
An easy reseeding sage that blooms scarlet from spring to frost, even in part shade — one of the few hummingbird plants that flowers reliably out of full sun..
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
The go-to native for shade that still wants color.
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Grown for its show-stopping clusters of electric-purple berries in fall — a feast for mockingbirds and dozens of other birds — on a graceful arching shrub..