Number 7 in a series of my experiences with CA natives in my garden. My house is in the Crescenta Valley which is northwest of Pasadena and has the typical climate of the inland valleys surrounding LA, although we are about 1000 feet higher elevation than Pasadena, Burbank or Glendale which surround us so our winters can be a little colder at night than those areas. Our entire valley is made of alluvial runoff from the surrounding mountains, the soil is sandy, rocky and very fast draining.

Salvia apiana or White Sage

Growing on a dry slope with no supplemental water. I've found white sage to be the toughest of the various sages I've tried. But it's also probably the least attractive of the sages. The flowers are white and quite small, the stems are thick and the leaves large and fleshy. The plant looks like a dry stick for more than half the year but comes back every year with the rain. This is a 12 year old plant from a 1 gallon. I generally trim it back after its growing and flowering cycle to about 3 feet tall and wide. If you want some life in a dry and neglected corner white sage is a good candidate. It's not showy but neglect and dry conditions don't faze it.