Other Names:  Salvia muelleri x microphylla

Description:

A delightful small shrub with heavy flower displays of violet-red blooms in spring and fall; great for dry, sunny areas; a perfect addition to borders or beds with its broad, dark green foliage and dense, bushy form; little water required once established

Ornamental Features

Dark Dancer Sage has masses of beautiful spikes of lightly-scented violet tubular flowers with red overtones rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage. The fragrant oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Dark Dancer Sage is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Dark Dancer Sage is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Dark Dancer Sage will grow to be about 30 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.