Lure Hummingbirds With Salvia Summer Jewel White

Virtues: ‘Summer Jewel White’, an award-winning tender salvia, draws hummingbirds, bees and butterflies with its tubular flowers. Meanwhile its compact size and pure white color makes it an easy addition to garden beds and containers alike. This ornamental sage makes a good cut flower, too. It is a 2016 All-America Selections Bedding Plant Award Winner.

Common name: ‘Summer Jewel White’ Texas sage, ‘Summer Jewel White’ salvia

Botanical name:Salvia coccinea ’Summer Jewel White’

Flowers: Upright spikes of large, white, tubular flowers appear from spring through early fall. Flowers densely line the stalk and open from the bottom to the top. ‘Summer Jewel White’ begins flowering earlier in spring than other white-flowered salvia. (Want vivid color on a similar plant? Try ‘Summer Jewel Red’ salvia.)

Foliage: Dark green leaves make a mound of foliage from which the flower stalks rise. Their color set off the white flowers well.

Habit: This dwarf salvia grows 10 to 24 inches tall and 10 to 15 inches wide.

Season: Spring to early fall, for flowers.

Exposure: Full sun.

How to grow Salvia Summer Jewel White: This variety is a selection of Texas sage (Salvia coccinea), a species native to the southwestern United States. Grow it in full sun and well-drained soil. This salvia tolerates drought, heat and humidity, but for the best show of blooms provide it with consistent watering. ‘Summer Jewel White’ can be started from seed; it will start blooming 50 days after sowing. Perennial in USDA Zones 7–10; grown as an annual elsewhere.

Image courtesy of All-America Selections