My Deer Garden

Is Purple Sage deer resistant?

Salvia dorrii

Seldom damaged

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 Purple Sage

Silver-grey leaves on rigid, often spiny branches, aromatic in the way that keeps a browsing animal moving, and for a few weeks in May and June the whole low mound turns blue. Kindness is what kills it. The instruction from the people who grow it is blunt — never irrigate once established — and a drip line left running through summer will finish a settled plant faster than any winter will. Fast drainage, sand or decomposed granite, full sun, no feeding. That is the entire specification. Softwood cuttings are the quickest way to get more; seed wants a cold, moist spell in the fridge before it will do anything. There is no hurry to tidy it after flowering either — the spent clusters dry on the stem and hold there for weeks, sometimes months, once the colour has gone.

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Common questions about Purple Sage

Is Purple Sage deer resistant?
Purple Sage (Salvia dorrii) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Does Purple Sage grow in shade?
No. Purple Sage wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
How big does Purple Sage get?
Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.