Plant of the Month – August
0Cimarron Sage
Blue Ranger
Leucophyllum zygophyllum
- Plant Form: Evergreen shrub
- Water Use: Low
- Mature Size: 3 ft. tall x 3-4 ft. wide
- Exposure: Full sun, reflected sun
- Bloom Time: Summer (June – Aug), Fall (Sept – Oct)
- Native to: Texas, Mexico, SW US
- Hardiness: Cold hardy to 10°F
Cimarron Sage provides a perfect silvery contrast to all or your green-foliaged plants. As an added bonus, it produces a flush of purplish-blue flowers whenever summer or fall rains occur. This evergreen shrub takes all the heat, sun, cold, and drought thrown at it in southwestern deserts, while asking for very little maintenance or added water in return.
Cimarron Sage is a petite variety of normally much larger Texas Rangers, all known for their masses of flowers produced in response to summer and fall rains. This evergreen shrub is prized for its soft, rounded form and silvery-gray fuzzy leaves which contrast beautifully with its bluish-purple flowers. Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators are attracted to the flowers. Cimarron Sage has exceptional drought tolerance, heat tolerance, cold hardiness, and is very low maintenance. Water regularly but infrequently in summer. Avoid watering in winter months except in extreme winter droughts. Allow these beauties to grow naturally – resist pruning into box-shapes or globes. While creating a denser appearance, flowers will be sacrificed, and water use will increase. Prune only lightly in late February to maintain the plant’s natural form. Typically used as an accent plant, border, screen, or informal hedge, and in beds and borders, by patios, as a filler shrub, and in containers.
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