Many years ago, just before Thanksgiving, I was visiting a garden when I came upon the plant autumn sage (Salvia greggii). Although it was near the end of the growing season the plant was covered with bright red blooms, even after having been through one of the driest periods on record.

There are many colors of autumn sage – apricot, magenta, Chinese red and white to name a few. I grow a white flowering variety that has been a proven performer, enduring winter temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. In spring I prune dead wood when the first leaves begin to appear and soon it is back up to speed, flowering continually until the coldest days of autumn.