Texas barometer bush
Leucophyllum frutescens · Scrophulariaceae
📷 Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0
The gardener's calendar
Texas barometer bush is in full bloom: enjoy it, watch watering in hot weather and let spent flowers feed pollinators before pruning.
ID card
- Scientific name
- Leucophyllum frutescens
- Family
- Scrophulariaceae
- Form
- Bushy shrub
- Foliage
- Evergreen, fine and gray-green
- Flowering
- May to September, tubular pink or white flowers
- Adult size
- Approximately 150 cm tall
- Hardiness
- Tolerates mild winters; fears prolonged frost
- Origin
- Arid regions of the American southwest and Mexico
✓ Taxonomy verifiedSource: AI estimate · hardiness: reliability medium.
Expert tips
The key tip
Leucophyllum frutescens needs full sun and flawless drainage. Once established, water only during marked dry spells.
The common mistake
Most gardeners drown this xerophile: too much water or moisture-retaining soil promotes root rot.
The pro's trick
Plant it on a mound or in a rock garden with gravel, rather than in a rich, regularly watered bed.
Care
Watering
Texas sage is very drought-tolerant once established. Water moderately during the growing season (spring-summer), then reduce considerably in fall and winter. Let the soil dry out between waterings. Avoid excess moisture, which promotes rot.
Light and Exposure
Place your Texas sage in full sun for optimal and abundant flowering. It tolerates intense heat and direct rays very well. Lack of light would reduce flowering and encourage weak growth.
Soil and Potting Mix
Prefer well-draining, light, and poor to average soil. Soil that is too rich in organic matter or too moist is harmful. Adding sand or gravel improves drainage. This plant adapts well to chalky and alkaline soils.
Pruning and Maintenance
Prune lightly after flowering to maintain a compact and dense shape. Severe pruning is not necessary; the plant has naturally bushy growth. Remove dead or poorly placed branches in spring.
Fertilizer
Apply a balanced diluted fertilizer once or twice in spring and early summer. Over-fertilizing promotes foliage at the expense of flowers. A plant adapted to poor soils generally doesn't need much.
Diseases and Pests
Very hardy, Texas sage mainly fears excessive moisture, which can cause root or fungal rot. Check your substrate's drainage. Pests are rare in appropriate climates; good air circulation limits problems.
Did you know?
Texas sage flowers spectacularly after summer rains, which is why it's locally called the 'Barometer Bush': its flowers bloom abundantly in response to increases in humidity, as if the plant were 'announcing' showers. This remarkable adaptation makes it an excellent natural weather indicator in desert regions.
Where to buy it
Best planted in autumn so the roots settle in before summer, or in early spring once the frost has passed. Pick a plant with healthy foliage and roots that are not exposed. Best time: March, October, November.
Add this plant to my garden →Plants from the same family
- Butterfly bushBuddleja davidii
- Buddleja virgataBuddleja virgata
- Butterfly bushBuddleja alternifolia
- Bride's SaddleDiascia rigescens
- Buddleja fallowianaBuddleja fallowiana
- Buddleja weyerianaBuddleja weyeriana
Tips generated and checked by Viridia — adapt them to your local climate.