Evergreen shrubPrivacy screenHedgeFoundation plantingDrought tolerantDeer resistantPollinatorsNative

Texas Sage

Leucophyllum frutescens

A silver-leaved Texas native that bursts into pink to purple bloom after summer rains, hence the name barometer bush, and it thrives on heat, drought and neglect as a hedge or foundation shrub. Give it full sun and sharp drainage, and don't fertilize or overwater: humidity and soggy soil bring root rot.

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Texas Sage: whole plant — Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mature size: 6 × 6 ft; 1.8 × 1.8 m, tall × wide
Hardiness: Zones 8a–11b; USDA
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry
Blooms: Jun–Oct

Texas Sage at its mature size

A mature Texas Sage grows 2 to 12 feet tall and 4 to 12 feet wide.

Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.

Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension, San Marcos Growers, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Through the year

What Texas Sage looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.

Winter · Nov–May

Silvery felted leaves, no flowers.

In flower · Jun–Oct

Silvery felted leaves covered in pink-lavender bells.

Photos

Texas Sage: flowers — Flowers · Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Texas Sage: leaves — Leaves · Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Growing Texas Sage

Grows well in: The Plains and Mountain West and the desert Southwest.
Growth rate: Medium
Good for: Privacy screen, hedge, foundation planting, drought tolerant, deer resistant, and pollinators
Leaves: Evergreen
Native to: Texas and Northern Mexico

Spacing for a hedge

VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Texas Sage, that’s about 6 ft apart, center to center.

Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.