Now that spring is definitely springing here in central Florida, we have things blooming all over the place! The wildflowers along the roadsides are starting to come up in patches now instead of just one or two here and there. One of my personal favorites is the lyreleaf sage. Not only does it have gorgeous light blue to lilac flowers, but it also has beautiful leaves that last throughout the rest of the growing season, long after the flowers have gone. Lyreleaf sage is a Florida native plant that in the wild ranges from Connecticut south through Florida and as far west as Texas. It is also sold in nurseries and garden stores, so you may see it in gardens outside it wild range.

Another reason that I really like lyreleaf sage is that it can grow under a lot of conditions. For example, it will grow in our Florida sand. It will grow in Georgia clay, and it will even grow in rocky areas as long as there is some soil covering the rocks. It likes to be kept moist, but once established, it is fairly drought resistant. It will grow in direct sunlight (as long as it gets enough water), partial shade, and even fully shaded areas. It doesn’t even care if you fertilize it or not! If given the opportunity, it will form a dense ground cover that will withstand mowing and being walked on. Definitely a brown thumb’s (yes, that’s me) dream!

Lyreleaf sage is a member of the mint family, and is said to have a mildly minty taste (I’ve never tried it, myself), which is not terribly palatable to deer and most livestock. Like other mints, it also has a square stem that the flowers come off of in whorls. Unlike a lot of mints, it does not have a minty smell, though. The flowers are very attractive to bees, and also sometimes butterflies and hummingbirds. Bees like to land on the lower petal, which is larger than the upper one. When they do that, it shakes the flower just enough for the bee to get a nice shower of pollen from inside the trumpet shaped flower.

The lyreleaf sage is the only sage that is actually native to the United States, although other sages are often cultivated for gardens and for their medicinal value. Like the other sages, lyreleaf sage can be eaten in salads and can be used for treating sores, warts, and fevers. It can also be brewed into a tea which some folks drink just for it’s minty flavor, or it can be used as a gargle for colds and sore throats. All in all, this little plant is very hardy, pretty to look at whether it’s flowering or not, incredibly useful, and easy to grow, too. What’s not to like about that?!?