Salvia… Spathacea?

• Drought Tolerant
• Fragrant
• Nice Dried Flowers

I’m in love with a plant (a sage, I think) and I don’t know its name. To me, this is like having a friend you REALLY LIKE, and you can’t remember their name! It happens. And then at some point you have to put an end to it either learning the name, or realizing it’s not much of a friendship.

My friend has a beautiful garden, which opens into a vast natural landscape in Novato’s Chileno Valley. Temperatures are more extreme there, but patterns of sun, rain and coastal fog are similar to my garden in San Francisco. We have spent hours walking around the area looking at plants, and she always lets me collect seeds and plants to try at home. Here I was introduced to “Party Sage,” so named because its flowers bloom in isolated, circular bursts, all the way up the stem. They cluster like people at a party; laughing, eating, gossiping.

The day I vowed to learn more about this plant was the day it made the perfect hat for my Vase Lady. I’ve had her since I was about 10. I’m not sure if she was given to me by my mother, or one of her friends who loved to garden. For YEARS I filled her with a bit of water and fresh flowers, and every time water would accidentally pour from her eyes. Creepy and gross!

Last week I filled her with the hearty, fragrant blossoms of this drought tolerant plant adding NO WATER, and voilà!

Party Sage makes a great hat!