Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Your gift keeps resources like this database thriving!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
1 rating

Friday - March 01, 2013

From: Bastrop, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation, Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Propagation of Texas sage from Bastrop, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Am I wasting my time trying to transplant texas sage runners? Any advice?

ANSWER:

We are at something of a disadvantage here because you have used a common name for your plant that actually is used on two very different plants, both, however, native to Texas and Bastrop County. These are:

Salvia texana (Texas sage) - Perennial flowering plant, 1 to 1.5 ft, tall, tap root, blooms blue, purple, violet March to May,  native to Travis County and probably therefore to nearby Bastrop County.

Leucophyllum frutescens (Cenizo), also called Texas Sage, and frequently marketed by nurseries as Texas Sage. Shrub, 2 to 8 ft, tall, blooms white, pink, purple, violet January to December. Also native to Travis County.

Neither of these plants propagate themselves by runners. Here is an article from Arizona Master Gardeners Manual on Plant Propagation, illustrating the various ways to propagate different types of plants.  If you follow each of our plants links above to our webpage on those plants you will find a paragraph on propagation of each.

Salvia texana (Texas sage)

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Maintenance: Trim back the old seed spikes after blooming to maintain a tidy appearance.

Leucophyllum frutescens (Cenizo)

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds , Semi-hardwood Cuttings , Softwood Cuttings
Description: Plant seeds in greenhouse immediately after summer collection or store over winter in a cool, dry place and plant outside in spring, after final frost. Cuttings should be semi-hardwood and of the current seasons growth.

If there are any other plants with that common name that propagate by runners, we don't know what they are.

 

From the Image Gallery


Texas sage
Salvia texana

Texas sage
Salvia texana

Texas sage
Salvia texana

Cenizo
Leucophyllum frutescens

Cenizo
Leucophyllum frutescens

Cenizo
Leucophyllum frutescens

More Herbs/Forbs Questions

Landscaping large area in Webster KY
February 10, 2012 - We just bought a house that we fell in love with. The land around it . . . well it has GREAT potential but is seriously lacking at the moment. Trying to get the farm up and running leaves very litt...
view the full question and answer

Plants for a lakeside bank in NC
November 07, 2011 - Our association is looking to plant a huge sloped area that runs down to Lake Wylie. We want to plant something that is good for erosion and that does not grow too tall so that we keep our view of th...
view the full question and answer

Looking for plants for phytoremediation in Columbus, TX
May 27, 2015 - Hello! I am looking for native Texan phytodegrading/rhizodegrading plants (basically I want phytoremediating plants that could be left in place and not have to be removed/disposed of after they had ta...
view the full question and answer

Plants to prevent erosion on slope in Texas
June 19, 2010 - We have an erosion problem developing on the low side of a gently sloping hill. We are in clay soil at the base of the hill with oaks and pines. We have a right of way that is without trees forty fee...
view the full question and answer

Plants for under live oak in Houston
July 09, 2011 - Hi, We have a live oak in our back garden in Houston and would like to plant a combination of some native shrubs and flowers near it (preferably perennial). The garden bed is about 4 metres from the...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.