Salvia pachyphylla

Native to dry mountain slopes around the Mojave Desert, this native sage will need some careful watering through its first dry season (and if winter rains fail), but can survive on rainfall alone once established.

It also tolerates garden conditions with occasional douses of water. Picture the rare summer thundershower in its habitat as a model for summer watering.

If you choose to withhold summer water entirely, your plant may look sparse or bony by fall, with only a few leaves still vibrant, but it will flush out quickly with rain (or irrigation) in the fall or winter. This is its natural cycle.