Native Plants

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Monday - September 24, 2012

From: Temple, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Transplants, Shrubs
Title: Transplanting Silverado Sage from Temple TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hello, I've got some mature Silverado Sage. Can they be successfully transplanted or do I need to buy new plants for the next residence? I have them planted in a raised bed. I realize that IF it is TRANSPLANTABLE, I'll probably have to cut it back down to half when it's dug up. I just don't know if it will transplant successfully. Going to buy some Lowery Legacy Sage to plant at the next residence. Should it be planted above ground with average soil packed around it. Intentions are to cover it with mulch. I'll be buying products from the Brazos River Authority for packing in around them. It's composted sewer sludge. I'm not sure if LL Sage would prefer average soil instead. Thanks for all your help. TxDOT has bought my house and I have to get all my bulbs and planted transplanted off the property so they can bulldoze it down ASAP.

ANSWER:

When we think of "sage," we think of members of the genus salvia, as in Salvia azurea (Pitcher sage), Salvia coccinea (Scarlet sage), and Salvia farinacea (Mealy blue sage). What you have is Leucophyllum frutescens (Cenizo). Silverado Sage is a trade name for a selection of this plant with the name of Leucophyllum frutescens (Cenizo) 'Silverado Sage.' The salvias, of course, are all herbaceous blooming plants and the cenizo is a perennial evergreen shrub. Note from this USDA Plant Profile Map that cenizo does not grow natively in Bell County, but does one county away in Williamson Co., and you obviouly have been growing it there, so that should not concern you.

But, the basic plant is still native to Texas, so first follow this link to our webpage on Leucophyllum frutescens (Cenizo) for general instructions on care and propagation. Note these Growing Conditions:

"Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Rocky, well-drained soils. Limestone-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Caliche type
Conditions Comments: According to legend, cenizo tends to bloom in conjunction with rainfall. Cenizo is easy to grow so long as it has good drainage. Though this species is the most irrigation-tolerant of the genus, it is susceptible to cotton root rot if soil does not have good drainage and remains moist. Humidity and high night temperatures are lethal. Cenizos should not be fertilized or over-watered. Drought- and heat-tolerant. During very cold winters, may lose a few leaves."

We realize you have a time crunch, but it would be better if you could wait until cooler weather to transplant, which is what we recommend for all woody plants. Here are some links to transplanting instructions.

Gardenguides.com How to Transplant Silverado Sage

Previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer

We would add that you should note carefully the need for good drainage for this plant. We like to recommend the addition of some compost to the soil, which both assists in the drainage and helps the new little rootlets to access the nutrients in the soil.

On the subject of Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Lowery Legacy Sage' we do not find a species langmaniae of the genus Leucophyllum in our Native Plant Database, nor could we locate it as a species of the genus from anywhere else, so we are concluding that is just another name for a selection of Leucophyllum frutescens (Cenizo) and the same instructions should apply.

Texas Superstar Lowery's Legacy Cenizo

As for planting your shrubs in the materials provided to pack them in, they aren't going to hurt the plants, but all natives prefer the native soil around them. If the sewer sludge is well-composted, then we think that would count as the compost we recommend you add, but have no experience with it.

From the Image Gallery

Cenizo
Leucophyllum frutescens