Ornamental Sage
Texas Sage (Salvia coccinea 'Forest Fire') is a striking red-flowered native wildflower that brings vibrant color and pollinator activity to gardens across zones 8-10. This is the only U.S. native sage species to produce bright red flowers, making it botanically distinct among North American salvias. Growing 1-2 feet tall and equally wide, it thrives in full sun to partial shade and tolerates drought and poor soils with remarkable resilience. From July through October, it produces showy blooms that attract butterflies and other pollinators while remaining untouched by deer. While winter-hardy only in frost-free zones, it performs beautifully as a summer annual in cooler climates when started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost.
Partial Sun
Moderate
8-10
24in H x 24in W
Perennial
Moderate
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This native wildflower stands apart as the only red-flowering sage species found wild across the United States. Its long blooming season, July through October, delivers consistent color when many other perennials are fading. The combination of drought tolerance, low maintenance, and strong pollinator appeal makes it invaluable for water-wise gardens and naturalized plantings. Deer won't touch it, and it asks little in return for months of showy, nectar-rich blooms.
Texas Sage is grown primarily as an ornamental for its striking red flowers and pollinator appeal rather than for culinary or medicinal purposes. It excels in native plant gardens, pollinator gardens, and xeriscape designs where its drought tolerance and low maintenance requirements align with sustainable gardening practices. The plant's ability to naturalize in disturbed areas and poor soils makes it valuable for ecological restoration and creating wildlife habitat in home landscapes.
Start seed indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost date for blooms that arrive earlier in the season. Direct-seeded plants in the ground after the last frost will bloom later in summer.
Transplant seedlings into the garden after the last spring frost date once soil has warmed. Space plants 12-24 inches apart to accommodate their mature width.
Direct sow seeds in the ground after the last spring frost date, though indoor starting produces earlier, more abundant blooms.
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“Texas Sage is native to sandy, disturbed areas across a wide range, from South Carolina and Florida west through Texas and into Mexico, where it naturally colonizes roadsides, waste sites, and coastal plain forests. Its origin as a wildflower across the American Southeast and Southwest means gardeners are essentially cultivating a plant that has thrived in diverse regions for generations. The recognition of its distinctive red flowers, unique among U.S. native sages, elevated it from overlooked roadside plant to a treasured ornamental for native plant gardens and pollinator landscapes.”