PlantFiles: Texas Sage, Texas Ranger, Cenizo, Barometer Bush, Silverleaf, Purple Sage
Leucophyllum frutescens 'Bertstar Dwarf'

Avoid watering this plant since it is native to desert. Once established, occasional rain should be enough. For those of you who are worried about the plant not blooming, it isn't unusual. The plant is made bloom by rain (one hour or more of continuous drip) plus heat and humidity that follows. You will see lines of buds on the branches in between leaves a couple days after the rain. If you haven't gotten rain it won't bloom yet. Just wait for the rain and start checking for buds. I planted mine on some really bad clay soil surrounded by purchased gravels (not natural to the area). I didn't water after a week of planting (assumed it was settled) and now it only get watered when it rains. The plant is really full of silky and shiny grayish-green leaves. It bloomed twice since I planted it only a month or so ago, after the rain, and the bees love the flowers. The flowers will stay good only a couple of days. Then you have to wait for the next rain for more blooms. Also don't expect it to flower in winter, but I have yet to find out. Mine is just planted this summer. I love it so much that I bought two more and planted them in big, heavy cement containers. I am using poor, cheapass potting soil from Dollar General and there isn't any plant food balls in it! I was afraid to use expensive, rich potting mix. I am experimenting with containers. This experiment will also tell me if they will die out on me if I don't water in containers but they only get occasional rain water. I will move them to ground if I see they aren't doing as well as the one planted on the ground. Also don't fertilize it. Maybe you can do it once in spring but no more. Don't water it. Don't give it a rich soil either. Plant in poor clay, sandy soil (whatever you have in your ground upon digging the hole to plant it). Make the plant think it is desert by not watering and it should be happy. Mine is very healthy and I think it is a perfect plant for places where there isn't enough rain. I don't think it likes wet places that get too much rain being a desert plant. Good for reducing water bills. I am now looking for more desert plants that look good, bloom, and don't get too big, and are hardy to my zone (9b), and hopefully attract bees and birds. Good planting. Happy Gardener.

Update:
Comparing the one planted on the ground and the two planted in big cement pots. The ones in cement pots are blooming repeatedly. They have bloomed thrice since buying them from nursery and transplanting them in the abovementioned thick cement pots in the full morning sun outdoors. The cheapass potting soil from Dollar General has sand mix to it. It might be the case. I am attaching pictures of this bloom cycle (that's today). When I woke up this morning, the two pots were full of purple flowers and hundreds of bees getting the nectar. I have never seen so many bees at once. When you look at my pictures, look carefully for the bees. To prove my point, yes, it has been raining here this week.

However, the one planted on ground is blooming less. I saw sporadic blooms two weeks ago and haven't seen new buds yet while the ones in the cement pots are blooming like crazy. Plantwise, the one on the ground is more shrubby and is full of healthy silvergreen foliage. The ones in pots, however, have kind of weaker foliage that shed with wind and when lizards climb on them to catch bugs! I don't mind as long as they are producing those clusters of flowers repeatedly. I like the one on the ground as a shrub even without the blooms. I have now pruned it to create a rounded shape. It is lookin' good, baby. So I guess planting in pots and planting on the ground have both pros and cons of their own.

That's all folks. I hope you enjoy my pictures---and thanks for reading.

I purchased 4 of these shrubs tagged 'Silverado Sage' in a 1g pot
in '02, knowing well how risky it would be here
in central Arkansas. They are planted along a fairly busy street in questionable soil. Year 1: Lost most of foliage that winter.
Year 2: I left them alone, and they went crazy,
growing at least 2' that year with a few sporadic blooms.
Year 3: In the winter they shed at least half their foliage,
so I pruned them 1/4 back. They bloomed in late spring,
and then again in late fall. I HAVE NEVER PURPOSELY
WATERED THEM, AND THEY HAVE BLOOMED PROLIFICALLY
TWICE A YEAR SINCE. This has been my pattern of care
for this shrub with MUCH SUCCESS!

Here in Israel, this plant thrives. I never do anything to it other than give it regular water in the summer (we have NO precipitation May-Oct). It loves full sun and does great in our August heat. It doesn't mind pruning no matter how hard you cut it back and shape it. Definitely a nice addition to any garden.

I am not having much luck growing this plant in Tulsa, OK, where I purchased it. It is continually losing leaves and growing new foliage and has not bloomed at all in the last year. I see from the other notes that perhaps I am too far north. It is planted on the north side of a fence, so it gets lots of full sun during the summer, but not as much during the winter. Maybe I didn't water it enough last year after I planted it. Has anyone had any pest problems? How about soil conditions - mine's planted in kind of heavy soil. I loved the look of the plant when I bought it, so if anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them.

San Antonio, TX
The more common Texas sage has an irregular and open shape which can become leggy with the base of the plant losing its leaves and even branches with lack of light. An improvement in growth habit, 'Bertstar Dwarf' (trademark name Silverado Sage), is full and dense to the base, rounded in shape and reaches a height and width of 4 feet. By pruning, it can be kept at a lower heighth. Being drought and heat tolerant (once established), this plant is great in xeriscape gardens. Color Spot Nurseries, Southwest Division, in San Antonio, Texas and Turkey Creek Farms Inc. in Humble, Texas jointly introduced Silverado Sage.

Not having grown this variety myself, I can not give it a positive nor negative rating. However, I have observed it growing in several locations in San Antonio and I must say that it is an improvement over other cultivars which become quite "untidy" looking as the plant ages if not maintained by proper pruning. Do not over water and be sure to locate the plant in full sun.