Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mealy Cup Sage
Mealy Cup Sage is a small, upright sage with tall spikes of violet-blue flowers from spring into fall. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit the flowers all season. It grows about 1.5 to 3 feet tall, which suits the front of a bed or a patio pot. In the Valley it does better with afternoon shade and moderate water.
Best for: the front of a flower bed, patio pots and mixed containers, and pollinator gardens in filtered or afternoon shade.
It stays small and upright, with narrow flower spikes above the leaves. Plant it in groups along the front of a bed for a band of blue.
It does well in outdoor pots, where the upright spikes add height to a mixed planting. In the Valley, set the pot where it gets afternoon shade.
The flowers draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds from spring into fall. The filtered shade of a palo verde suits it in the low desert.
In a Phoenix summer, full afternoon sun is hard on it, so give it shade after midday. It will not take standing water. It can also be short-lived, lasting only a few years.
- Massed bed12 in apart
- Looser border1-3 ft apart
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
First two weeks. In the Valley, water every 1 to 2 days in summer and every 3 to 4 days in the cooler months. Always water deeply, slow and long enough that moisture soaks down to the root zone, not just the surface.
After that, taper gradually. Stretch slowly to about every 7 days in summer, or every 10 to 14 days in the cooler months, by week 8. Higher and cooler areas water less often. See how to water new plants for your area and plant type.
Read the soil, not a schedule. Push a long screwdriver into the soil about an hour after watering. It slides easily through wet soil and stops at dry soil. Once a plant is rooted, water again when it will not go in more than 3 to 4 inches.
Fertilizer. Most desert-adapted plants establish without heavy feeding. Too much fertilizer pushes soft, leggy growth.
Why is it called mealy cup sage?
The stems and the small cups that hold each flower are covered in fine, dense hairs. That gives them a powdery, mealy look.
How big does mealy cup sage get?
It grows about 1.5 to 3 feet tall, including the flower spikes, and 1 to 2 feet wide, at a moderate pace.
When does mealy cup sage bloom?
It blooms over a long season, from spring into fall, with violet-blue flowers on narrow spikes.
Does mealy cup sage need shade in Phoenix?
It does better with afternoon shade in the Valley, and the filtered shade under a palo verde works well. It also takes full sun, but afternoon shade helps it through the summer.
How much water does mealy cup sage need?
Give it moderate, regular water in the Valley. It is drought tolerant once rooted, but it will not take standing water, so plant it in soil that drains.
Can mealy cup sage grow in pots?
Yes. It does well in outdoor pots and mixed containers. Set the pot where it gets afternoon shade in summer.
How do you prune mealy cup sage?
After a long flush of flowers, cut it back by about half its height. That keeps it compact instead of leggy.
Does mealy cup sage attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies all visit the flowers from spring into fall.
How cold hardy is mealy cup sage?
It is rated hardy to about 10°F, so a Valley winter is not a problem for it.
Is mealy cup sage native to Arizona?
No. It comes from Texas, New Mexico and northeastern Mexico, but it grows well in Valley yards with afternoon shade.
Does mealy cup sage stay green in winter?
Mostly. It keeps most of its leaves through a Valley winter.
Mealy Cup Sage for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mealy Cup Sage is a compact blue sage that flowers for a long season, from spring into fall. It is small enough for pots and the front of a bed, and it draws bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Below is how it grows in a Valley yard, covering sun, water, pruning, cold and where the name comes from.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Does mealy cup sage grow well in Phoenix?
Yes, with afternoon shade. The filtered shade of a desert tree suits it in the Valley. Give it moderate, regular water and soil that drains.
When does mealy cup sage bloom?
It blooms over a long season, from spring into fall. The violet-blue flowers sit in whorls along narrow, upright spikes.
Can mealy cup sage grow in a pot?
Yes. It does well in outdoor pots and mixed containers. At about 1.5 to 3 feet tall, its upright spikes add height to a mixed pot.
How do you prune mealy cup sage?
Cut it back by about half its height after a long flush of flowers, which keeps it compact. Prune after flowering so you do not cut off the current flowers.
Is mealy cup sage good for pollinators?
Yes. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all visit the flowers, and it blooms from spring into fall, so they have flowers for a long season.
Why is it called mealy cup sage?
The flower cups and stems are covered in fine, dense hairs that look powdery, like meal or flour.
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