Is Blue Sage deer resistant?
Salvia pachyphylla
Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Not listed by Rutgers NJAES. Rated deer-resistant by El Paso County CSU Extension, whose list is a single category, mapped conservatively to Seldom Severely Damaged.
About Blue Sage
The bracts do the work here. Mauve, thick and persistent, they hold their colour long after the blue-violet flowers have gone over, above thick, pungent leaves that deer generally leave be. Cold is not the problem. It grows wild between 5,000 and 10,000 feet on dry rocky slopes and is rated hardy to zone 5. Winter moisture is the problem. The drainage has to carry water away from the roots through the months when nothing is growing, which is exactly when most borders sit damp, so it wants sandy or gravelly ground, fast drainage and very little water. It is sold as Mojave sage at least as often as blue sage, so buy it by the Latin. Prune in spring to take out damaged or ugly stems, and cut just above the woody growth — go back into the wood and that stem is finished.
Similar to Blue Sage
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Where Blue Sage grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- Californianative
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevadanative
- Arizonanative
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 3 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Blue Sage belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Blue Sage
- Is Blue Sage deer resistant?
- Blue Sage (Salvia pachyphylla) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Blue Sage grow in?
- Blue Sage is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 10. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Blue Sage grow in shade?
- No. Blue Sage wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Blue Sage get?
- Mature height is roughly 18–32 in. Growth rate is moderate.