Salvia yunnanensis Seeds | Yunnan Sage
LATIN NAME: Salvia yunnanensis
COMMON NAME: Yunnan Sage
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Yunnan Sage (Salvia yunnanensis) stands out as a perennial in the mint family. The Yunnan sage sets whorls of violet-blue flowers along upright stems, soft, wrinkled leaves at base, and the whole plant carries the fine, tidy look of the dry meadow. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, light, well-drained ground. Each of these traits is modest on its own; together they make a garden-worthy plant.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Salvia yunnanensis, a representative of the mint family with clear practical value. Nothing exotic is required: standard seed-sowing practice, done carefully, is enough.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Yunnan Sage for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. The Yunnan sage is a quiet, useful herb of dry meadow and study collection. It is a quiet, useful herb of open, sunny, deep, light, well-drained garden. Sage seeds grow well in a fine, sandy mix in full sun, watered sparingly. Once it has settled, the workload drops to almost nothing.
Yunnan sage is a regional red-sage relative with folk use in southwestern China for circulation, echoing the fame of Dan Shen.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Yunnan Sage under ordinary good conditions. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Being a perennial, it asks for a permanent spot and repays it yearly. Careful watering early on is rewarded by toughness at maturity.
Related Reading
If Yunnan Sage appeals to you, these related plants are worth a look: