Pronounciation: FLOW-mis fru-ti-CO-sa

Hardiness zones:
Sunset 12-13, 16, 18-24, zones 14-15 with cold protection
USDA 6-7 (will freeze to ground and recover in spring), 8-11

Landscape Use: Herb gardens, floral and textural accents, perennial borders, cut foliage and flowers, oasis landscape gardens motifs, small informal hedge.

Form & Character: Mounding and spreading, informal, friendly, recessive, cuddly, easy.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, herbaceous, broadleaf perennial shrub, moderate growth rate to 5-feet tall with a near equal spread.

Foliage/texture: Nearly tomentose, grayish green ovate to lanceolate leaves to 4 inches long with lesser width, leaves aromatic (sage), young stems whitish, tomentose; medium coarse texture.

Flowers & fruits: Bright yellow, drooping, tubular flowers in vertical series of axillary ball-like or whorled clusters known as verticillasters along stout stems; fruits inconspicuous.

Seasonal color: Yellow flowers in late spring and summer.

Temperature: Surprisingly hardy in Phoenix, although it is best to avoid planting in western exposures. Will freeze to the ground a potentially recover and regrow during the ensuent spring in colder climates.

Light: Full sun to partial shade, avoid reflected light of south and west exposures.

Soil: Absolutely requires well-drained soil.

Watering: Regularly infrequent and deep irrigations, especially in summer.

Pruning: Requires little to no pruning; may be pruned hard during late winter to rejuvenate. Undoubtably though, the 'Horticultural clods of Phoenix' (aka 'Hort clods') will want to shear this shrub into landscape conformity.

Propagation: Easily propaged by many methods, seed (harvested fresh in late summer and fall), softwood cutting in summer, basal division and layering.

Disease and pests: None

Additional comments: Jerusalem sage is both deer and rabbit resistance which makes it a fine selection for upper elevation Arizona landscape gardens in the Prescott, Payson, Show Low/Pinetop, and Sierra Vista areas. Flowers attract hummingbirds. Very little maintenance except for occassional water is required to grow Jerusalem sage. Jerusalem sage is a common and popular plant for perennial herb gardens in southern and central California. The genus Phlomis is wildly popular in the United Kingdom. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its Award of Garden Merit (AGM).