Mealycup sage

Salvia farinacea

In other languages: Meelsalie (Nederlands) · Sauge farineuse (Français)

Mealycup sage comes from Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico, where it grows on dry, limestone prairies and slopes. In its homeland it is a perennial, but in our climate it is not hardy and is grown as an annual. It forms an upright clump of 40–60 cm with narrow, grey-green leaves and slender spikes of small, violet-blue lipped flowers. The flower calyces and stems are covered with a white, mealy coating, which gives the plant its name. Well-known varieties are ‘Victoria’, a deep violet-blue, and ‘Strata’, with blue flowers in silvery-white calyces.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry to normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
any pH
Hardiness
down to -2 °C
protect in harsh winters
Size
0.5 m
tall, 0.3 m wide
Flowering
June–October

Key facts
Height	0.5 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees and butterflies
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	June–October

Identify

Mealycup sage: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Upright, branching clump, 40–60 cm tall and 25–35 cm wide.
Leaves: Narrow and lance-shaped, 4–8 cm long, grey-green, with a slightly toothed edge.
Flowers: Small lipped flowers in slender, straight spikes of 15–20 cm, from June to October.
Colour: Deep violet-blue, pale blue or white; the calyces are often blue or silvery white and mealy-hairy.
Stems: Square, like all members of the mint family; dark blue in some varieties.

Flowering: June–October · Sowing: February–March · Plants: May

In your garden

Why grow it?

Flowers non-stop from June until the first frost.
Copes well with drought and heat, ideal for pots on a sunny patio.
A magnet for bees, bumblebees and butterflies.
Lovely as a cut flower and for drying: the spikes keep their colour.
Its cool blue goes with almost every summer colour.

Mealycup sage: where does it grow best?

Full sun, as warm as possible.
Free-draining soil: sand, loam or clay with some gravel; acid, neutral or chalky.
Dry to normally moist; it copes better with drought than with wet feet.
Plant 25–30 cm apart; in a pot, 3 plants are enough for a 30 cm pot.

Light: Sun
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Not fussy
Moisture: Dry or normal
Size: 0.5 m tall, 0.3 m wide
Hardiness: Tolerates light frost (to -2 °C)

Goes well with

French marigold: Orange and yellow next to blue, a classic summer bedding scheme.
Zinnia: Bright, warm colours and the same long flowering season.
Cosmos: Airy pink and white flowers above the blue spikes.
Fountain grass: Soft plumes that move gracefully between the upright spikes.

Maintenance

Mealycup sage: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May.

Sow indoors in February–March at 20–22 °C and cover the seed lightly; the seedlings grow slowly.
Prick out the seedlings into individual pots and keep them in a bright, not too warm place.
In May, harden the plants off for a week.
Plant out after mid-May, when there is no more night frost, at the same depth as in the pot.
Keep 25–30 cm between plants and water in well straight away.
In pots, use compost mixed with some sand or perlite for good drainage.

Care

Watering: In the ground only in long dry spells; in pots every 2–3 days in warm weather, when the top few centimetres are dry.
Feeding: In pots, liquid feed for flowering plants every 2–3 weeks; in the border it is not needed.
Spent spikes: Cut off spent spikes above a couple of side shoots; new ones will follow.
Picking and drying: Cut spikes when most flowers are open and hang them upside down in a dark, dry place.
Support: Rarely needed; in a windy spot a few twiggy sticks can help.

Tip: Sow early indoors or buy young plants and plant out in May in a sunny spot. It copes well with drought and flowers until the frost; the spikes dry beautifully.

Mealycup sage: when to prune it?

When: No real pruning is needed. From June to October, simply cut off spent spikes.

How:

Cut off spent spikes just above a couple of healthy leaves or side shoots.
If the plant gets untidy in summer, shorten the longest stems by a third.
To overwinter a plant, cut it back to 10–15 cm in October before bringing it indoors.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: Indoors in February–March at 20–22 °C. Germinates in 1–3 weeks. Early sowing is needed for flowers from June.
Cuttings: In August–September, take 8 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots in sandy cutting compost; overwinter them frost-free in a bright place.

Mealycup sage: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −2 °C: protect in harsh winters.

Not hardy: it tolerates only a few degrees of frost, to about −2 °C.
It is usually treated as an annual and cleared after the first frost.
A potted plant can overwinter in a bright, cool, frost-free place at 5–10 °C, with very little water.
Easier still: take cuttings in August–September and overwinter them indoors.

Diseases and pests

Aphids: On young shoots and flower spikes. Hose them off; ladybirds and parasitic wasps also help.
Whitefly: Tiny white flies under the leaves, especially on plants raised indoors. Hang up yellow sticky traps and ventilate well.
Slugs: Attack young plants after planting out. Check in the evening and pick them off.
Root rot: The plant wilts in cold, wet soil or in a pot without drainage. Plant in a free-draining spot and never let pots stand in water.

Through the year

February: Sow indoors at 20–22 °C.
March: Sow indoors. Prick out seedlings.
May: Harden off. Plant out after mid-May.
June: Flowering starts. Cut off spent spikes.
July: Flowering. Pick and dry. Water pots regularly.
August: Flowering. Take cuttings.
September: Flowering. Dry spikes for arrangements.
October: Last flowers until the frost. Bring potted plants in to overwinter.
November: Clear spent plants.

Use

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.
Butterflies: Nectar for butterflies.

You and this species

Did you know?

The name farinacea comes from the Latin ‘farina’, meal or flour, after the white coating on the calyces and stems.
In Texas and Mexico, mealycup sage is a perennial that comes back every year; here it is too cold and wet for that.
The genus Salvia has hundreds of species, including the common sage used in cooking.

Garden plants · All species