This species and its allies are atypical sages found on both sides of the United States - Mexican border.  In Texas and on the other side of the Rio Grande, this species is found; deeper in Mexico, an extra-large flowered form can be found.  Going westward, S. summa (a rare Texas - New Mexico endemic),  S. henryi (Arizona and New Mexico) and S. davidsonii (Arizona) can be found.  These are similar plants.  All are unusual for New World sages.

They bloom best in spring and fall, since the flowers are polymorphic.  In the summer the flowers self-fertilize before the flowers develop, giving an excellent seed crop but no bloom.  These plants are found most often in pockets in limestone in damp gorges growing with Juniperus (Cedar) species.  The pockets collect leaf detritus and moisture, allowing the plant to form a natural hanging basket.  The leaves have a cedary scent.  Its western relatives grow in somewhat sunnier environments, and scramble amongst rocks.

This is a new plant in the trade from South America.  While Mexico has the heaviest concentration of sages in the New World, the Andes mountains of northwestern South America are also rich in these plants. 

This species has adapted to coffee plantations readily, and I quickly saw why the first summer I grew it.  Give it ample moisture, fertile soil, and some shade, and it will take off, growing like ivy along the ground.  It produces open spikes of flowers held in the aspect of a skullcap, hence its name.  It sets seed well.

This is another relatively new plant to the salvia trade in the United States.  It appears to be a stable container plant thriving in summer heat to produce a bush with neat grey foliage with an even rugoseness that is pleasing to the eye.  The open spike has burgundy calyxes with two-toned lavender and purple flowers.  The tube is half as deeply colored as the prominent lower lip, hence the name. 

This plant should adapt well to xeric climates and bright, cool winter greenhouses.

This is a selection of scarlet sage with delicate pastel peach colors.  It has been included to demonstrate the similarity of S. vanhouttei to S. splendens.  The best information available is that S. vanhouttei is a selection by Van Houtte, a Belgian collector/nurseryman who helped in the development of scarlet sage in addition to introducing many South American plants to Europe. 

The current material in the United States came via a South African nursery through Longwood Gardens into my hands.  I quickly discovered that it generated some seed, and that volunteers were not burgundy like the parent, but orange-red in color, and that the new plants looked a lot like S. splendens.  Its genetics must indeed be rich, since Barb Smith of Pendleton, SC has succeeded in getting seven new colored forms, including lavender, purple, and peach. The new colored forms are being registered for plant patents. 

S. vanhouttei is a more robust plant than commercial forms of scarlet sage.  I am told that it is a vigorous and showy grower in central Florida, which is what the species form of S. splendens should do.

This sage is a fairly new plant in the trade.  It is a fast grower in a rich, part shade garden.  In Mexico, it grows in moist shaded canyons.  This makes it a good candidate for southeastern gardens as well as a winter greenhouse and Mediterranean plant.  It is a late bloomer.

This plant is found in the same area as S. chionophylla (Chihuahuan desert).  However, it is an upright shrub of medium  height.  It is related to S. uliginosa, S. glechomaefolia, S. urticifolia, S. arizonica, and S. sinaloensis (section Uliginosae) and is one of the most xeric members of this section.  This is a good candidate for a Mediterranean garden, a winter greenhouse, or an annual in the cooler parts of the country.  It is a bit big for a rock garden plant, but would benefit from that kind of microclimate.