A close-up photograph of Mrs. Beard Creeping Sage, Salvia x "Mrs. Beard" or Salvia sonomensis x mellifera "Mrs. Beard" focused on the flowers. It has dense whorls of calyces, like many Californian sages, in mint green with tinges of reddish green. The flowers are a mauve purple color, with same colored style and stamens, and darker purple anthers. Multiple flowers are seen coming out of the wheel-shaped whorls in the center of the frame. The flowers extend from the calyces on a narrow corolla, flaring out before splitting into upper and lower lips. The upper lip is vaguely "M" shaped, while the lower tapers down, then flares into a slightly frilly "bee landing pad" that folds under the body of the flower to varying degrees depending on each flower. Similar flower spikes rise in the background, with visible, yet blurry, flowers. The rest of the background seems to be of the plant itself, blanketing a mulched soil, with the shapes of narrow leaves just barely discernable.

The last time I did a sage post was last month! I'll fix that. Here's a cutie from northern California, called Mrs. Beard Creeping Sage. Stick around! 🧵

#photography #mint #salvia #sonomensis #mellifera #wildflower #herb #california #garden #sonoma #sage #bloomscrolling

A picture of Bee's Bliss Sage, Salvia leucophylla x sonomensis. The focus and center of frame is a flower whorl, with light purple flowers in a series of tightly packed together groups of greyish green calyces that are tinged purple or red. The whorls are arranged along flower spikes about an inch or less apart, but distinctly separate, unlike lavender calyces. The foliage is unfocused in the background, grey green and appearing soft. It seems to float just above the ground, which slopes gently uphill.

Whoo! Back at it with one of my first sage hybrid acquisitions, Bee's Bliss Sage. The leaves smell so savory and the bees do indeed go absolutely nuts for the flowers every spring. Very adaptable and drought-tolerant.
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#photography #mint #sage #salvia #leucophylla #sonomensis #california #garden