(Atlas Mountain Sage) Tawny looking from a distance, the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa are home to an abundance of greenery, including the lovely Salvia interrupta. So the mountains contrast sharply with the Sahara Desert, which they border.

(Orange Mountain Sage) This is the reddest of the Salvia regla species and the most floriferous. Side by side with the other varieties, this one is a bit taller and has darker flowers.

(Creeping Mexican Sage) Thick, heavily textured and nearly round, the foliage of this gently creeping perennial is as showy as its tall spikes of large orange flowers. This is a water-loving species from Oaxaca, Mexico.

(Purple Haze Anise Hyssop) Tall spikes of smoky, bluish-purple flowers and fragrant, blue-green foliage make drought-resistant Agastache x ‘Purple Haze’ an elegant choice for low water gardens. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees love it.

(Sonoran Sunset® Anise Hyssop) An abundance of lavender-rose flowers mark Agastache cana 'Sinning' as being unique from the typical purple-flowered plants of its species. Colorado plantsman Duane Sinning discovered this lovely anise hyssop.

(Vermilion Tropical Sage) Tall and full of large, orange flowers, Salvia coccinea 'Vermilion' is a strain from the Louisiana gardens of hummingbird guru Nancy Newfield.

(Hidalgo or 7-UP Plant) I love to ask people what the smell of these leaves remind them of. Almost no one gets it on the first try, but when I say, "7 UP", their eyes light up, heads nod and the resounding answer is, "Yes!"

(Smokey Jazz Anise-Scented Sage) The dusky black calyxes of Salvia BODACIOUS® ‘Smokey Jazz’ support large flowers shaped like parrot beaks the unique color of boysenberries — a hue between red and purple.

 

(Elk Blue Moon III Jame Sage) Dark calyxes cup dusky blue flowers that age to lavender and rise up from the veined, mid-green foliage of Salvia x ‘Elk Blue Moon III’.

(Austrian Sage) Tall spikes of large, pale yellow flowers rise up from Salvia austriaca’s basal rosette of impressively large leaves. Deeply lobed, like the edges of a lacy collar, the leaves are broader and longer than those of any Salvia we have  ever grown.

(Beacon Fuchsia) Upright with bushy, dark green foliage, Fuchsia ‘Beacon’ has deep pink sepals that flare or drape demurely over mauve-pink corollas. It’s a short, compact shrub that is ideal for perennial borders, containers, and for growing as a summer-blooming annual.

(Blood Red Mexican Sage) From fall to spring, the fuzzy, deep red flowers of Salvia univerticillata attract hummingbirds. This sage from Chiapas, Mexico, blooms well in partial shade.

(Elk Grape Ape Jame Sage) Bountiful flowers that are larger than normal for Jame Sage cover Salvia x ‘Elk Grape Ape’ in a cloud of purple that is sort of amethyst to pinot gris in color.

(Elk Smokey Grape Jame Sage) We think the dusky lavender flowers of Salvia x ‘Elk Smokey Grape’ look like the dusty, pale reddish-blue of Malbec grapes. This is a floriferous beauty. 

 

(Red Birds in a Tree) Flocks of cardinal red blossoms shaped like tiny birds inhabit the tall flower spikes of Scrophularia macrantha, which is best known as Red Birds in a Tree and is well loved for its ability to attract hummingbirds.

(Elk Pink Cloud Jame Sage II) Abounding with clusters of large, soft pink flowers on spreading branches, Salvia x ‘Elk Pink Cloud II’ looks like a fluffy, cumulonimbus cloud.

 

(Celia Smedley Fuchsia) White to light pink sepals flare out over the strawberry red petals of Fuchsia ‘Celia Smedley’. The flowers hang pendulously amid the veined, mid-green foliage of this mid-sized, upright beauty.

(Italian Clary Sage) Clary Sages are well known for their use in folk remedies, aromatherapy and cosmetics. Glowing purple bracts frame the spectacular white blooms of this cultivar on 5-foot-tall spikes. It is a delight for honeybees, hummingbirds and butterflies.

(Cardinal Fuchsia) Introduced in 1938 by the historic Evans & Reeves Nurseries in Southern California, Fuchsia ‘Cardinal’ is a tall shrub with flowers composed of lovely red sepals and magenta corollas.

(Christmas Elf Fuchsia) Looking like cute, white pantaloons, the fluffy petals of Fuchsia ‘Christmas Elf’ are exposed under bright red sepals that flex upward like a skirt twirling. Hummingbirds love it.

(Rosie Posie Anise Hyssop) Agastache aren’t known for tidy appearance. But the long blooming, hot pink flowers and dense, fragrant foliage of Agastache x ‘Rosie Posie’ form short, dense mounds ideal for well-behaved borders.

(Wild Meadow Sage) Meadow sages are native to Europe and include many hybrids. This lush, purple-flowered plant is a wild species that most likely is a hybrid of two ancient sages -- Salvia nemorosa and Salvia pratensis.

(Turkish Mountain Sage) Part of the Salvia canescens group of Mediterranean sages, this dwarf species features lavender parrot-type flowers with whitish lower lips (or should we say beaks!).