Blue Anise Sage (Salvia coerulea) in the Salvias Database

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb Shrub
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 8b -9.4 °C (15 °F) to -6.7 °C (20 °F)
Flowers:	Showy
Flower Color:	Blue
Flower Time:	Late spring or early summer Summer Late summer or early fall Fall Other: Deadheading flowers ensures more flowering throughout the season.
Uses:	Suitable as Annual
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees Butterflies Hummingbirds

Common names

Blue Anise Sage
Brazilian Sage
Guarani Sage
Majestic Sage
Salvia

Botanical names

Accepted: Salvia coerulea
Synonym: Salvia guaranitica

Blue Anise Sage (Salvia coerulea) was a featured
Plant of the Day for June 17, 2016.

Photo Gallery

Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA
Date: 2021-09-13

Uploaded by LoriMT

Uploaded by Gerris2

Location: Wilmington, Delaware USA
Date: 2015-09-07
It is blue, but photographs purple

Uploaded by Gerris2

Location: Lincoln NE zone 5
Date: 2017-08-18

Uploaded by stilldew

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: Botanical Gardens of the State of Georgia...Athens, Ga
Date: 2017-08-08
Blue Salvia and Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly 005

Uploaded by dawiz1753

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: Loki Schmidt Garten - Botanischer Garten der Universitaet Hamburg
Date: 2022-09-13

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek

Uploaded by vic

Location: Zilker Botanical Garden, Austin, Texas
Date: 2022-04-05

Uploaded by sedumzz

Location: Sandhills Horticultural Gardens Pinehurst, NC (Visitor center)
Date: May 18, 2023
Blue Anise Sage #231 nn; MBG, "The genus name Salvia comes from t

Uploaded by WebTucker

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: NW MO - zone 6a
Date: 2015-09-29
Received and planted July 2015 from quart pot-

Uploaded by jg0613

Uploaded by WebTucker

Location: NW MO - zone 6a
Date: 2015-09-26

Uploaded by jg0613

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Location: Loki Schmidt Garten - Botanischer Garten der Universitaet Hamburg

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by ceci

Uploaded by vic

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Uploaded by Gerris2

Uploaded by longk

Location: in my front yard garden
Date: July 7, 2013
first year for this plant & hoping it multiplies

Uploaded by annhornsbyjones

Location: NW MO - zone 6a
Date: 2015-09-06

Uploaded by jg0613

Location: My garden in northeast Texas
Date: 2013-05-20

Uploaded by Avedon

Location: North Central TX Zone 8a
Date: 2018-03-19
My Salvia coerulea is coming back strong and spreading.

Uploaded by tx_flower_child

Location: Coastal San Diego County
Date: 2018-05-08
Growing good! Seeds from Robin’s Seeds

Uploaded by carlysuko

Location: Coastal San Diego County
Date: 2018-02-08
Seeds I got from Robin's Salvias. Salvia Guarantica var violacea

Uploaded by carlysuko

Uploaded by vic

Uploaded by vic

Uploaded by vic

Location: Coastal San Diego County
Date: 2018-01-20

Uploaded by carlysuko

Location: NW MO - zone 6a
Date: 2015-09-29
New growth via spreading by runners

Uploaded by jg0613

Photo Courtesy of Select Seeds. Used with permission.

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on May 25, 2013 2:33 PM concerning plant:

"Salvia guaranitica (Anise-scented sage, Hummingbird sage) is a species of Salvia native to a wide area of South America, including Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

It is a perennial subshrub growing 4 to 5 feet tall, spreading into a large patch through its spreading roots. The leaves are ovate, 1.6 inches long and nearly as wide, with a fresh mint green color, and an anise scent when crushed. The inflorescence's are up to 9.8 inches long with flowers in various shades of blue, including an uncommonly true blue. In cold regions, flowering begins in mid summer and continues until frost.

Salvia guaranitica is a popular ornamental plant in mild areas. It grows in either full or three quarter sunlight, in well drained soil."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

Reply to this comment
Posted by plantladylin (Sebastian, Florida - Zone 10a) on Sep 22, 2011 8:56 AM concerning plant:

Blue Anise Sage is a semi woody perennial in my area. It grows to 3 feet in height in my garden but can attain heights up to 5 feet. Blue Anise Sage prefers full sun but will tolerate a little afternoon shade. It blooms from spring to fall here, freezes to the ground in winter but re-sprouts in spring. It's popular with bees and butterflies and I have seen a hummingbird a time or two visiting this sage. I received seeds of this plant from a gardening friend and love the color it adds to my garden.

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Posted by Avedon (NE Tex - Zone 8a) on May 23, 2013 9:17 PM concerning plant:

This plant conforms to the description in Joy's comments. I have always called this Salvia guaranitica. It is my favorite perennial, dying to the ground in winter and then returning in spring. For us in our climate, it seems to do best with partial shade and it loves water. This has wonderful color and the scented fragrance keeps the deer away. It is the hummingbirds' first choice here as a food source.

Reply to this comment
Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Jan 15, 2012 7:50 AM concerning plant:

Rich strong indigo-blue flowers all summer long. Although considered half-hardy by many, it is known to have grown in zone 6 for many years. This plant grows 2 to 4 feet tall in an open, upright manner in full sun and average soil. Rich, true blue, 1-inch, 2-lipped flowers are borne on open racemes over bright kelly green leaves. Even if your climate may be too cool in winter for this sage, you can have it in a sunny garden as an annual. It just may be the truest blue flower there is, and one of the best flowers around for hummingbirds.

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Plant Events from our members
jg0613	On August 15, 2015	Bloomed Very healthy, growing rapidly with multiple bloom stalks. Date approx.
jg0613	On July 15, 2015	Obtained plant One plant obtained from order through Gardens in the wood of Grassy Creek. Planted in ground in N fenced section of backyard facing S along chain link fence N end of the section. Date approx.
carlysuko	On May 19, 2018	Potted up Potted my two S. Guarantica var. Violacea seedlings. One is much bigger than the other.
carlysuko	On January 28, 2018	Seeds germinated
carlysuko	On January 20, 2018	Seeds sown Sowed some Salvia Guarantica var violacea that I obtained from Robin's Salvias.
Mielikki	On February 8, 2024	Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc) Froze.
Mielikki	On March 26, 2023	Transplanted
Mielikki	On March 24, 2023	Obtained plant
WebTucker	On May 18, 2023	Bloomed

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Salvias Blue Anise Sage (Salvia coerulea)

Salvias

Blue Anise Sage (Salvia coerulea)