A: Those are Texas sage, and they are impressive right now! Texas sage are best planted in full sun, and they thrive in hot and dry conditions. Plant them in raised beds (ideally, on a small berm) or in beds with plants that have similar water preferences.
The reason you haven’t noticed them much this summer, until now at least, is that Texas sage have an interesting quirk. They need to be planted in sunny, dry areas to keep them from drowning, but they’re sensitive to humidity and soil moisture. The folk tales of Texas sage call it a “barometer plant,” claiming that it comes into bloom just before it rains.
There’s a lot of truth to this tale. Texas sage bloom heavily in the summer when humidity rises, but also during hot weather when rains have generally increased soil moisture. Interestingly, simply watering the Texas sage more in the summer isn’t a good substitute for natural rainfall. We’ve had a lot of humidity this past week, and of course most of us caught a downpour this weekend that really helped our yards breathe a sigh of relief.
Texas sage should give us a wonderful show for the next few weeks, and if weather co-operates, into the first part of the fall. Enjoy the show!