Salvia microphylla "Lutea"

Salvia microphylla 'Lutea' is an uncommon yellow-flowered form of the littleleaf or baby sage, a small woody shrub of the mountains of Mexico and the borderlands. Where the species carries the usual salvia scarlet or orange-red, 'Lutea' opens soft, pale yellow flowers instead, a quiet and unusual color on a plant otherwise known for hot tones, and blooms over a long season from late spring into fall.

The small, glossy leaves give the plant its name and carry the fresh, fruity, blackcurrant scent typical of the species when brushed, which is no idle detail: in Mexico Salvia microphylla is known as mirto de monte, myrtle of the mountains, and the leaves are steeped into a refreshing blackcurrant-flavored tea with a long history of folk use, a tradition set out in the fields below.

Like all the shrubby sages, the littleleaf sage is easy, tough, and generous, drawing hummingbirds through its long bloom and shrugging off heat and drought once established. A hard cut in late winter keeps the small frame dense and floriferous.

Site Salvia microphylla 'Lutea' in full sun in well-drained soil or sandy loam, in a xeric border, a rock garden, a herb bed, or a large container, where the pale yellow flowers cool the hot palette of other autumn sages. Pair with agastache, other salvias, and warm-season grasses on lean, sharply drained ground, and give a sheltered spot at the cold edge of the range.