Autumn Sage is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 7 through 9, shrugs off deer and shrugs off dry spells. Its summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Autumn Sage — the short answer
Autumn Sage: grown in zones 7–9, full sun, pH 4.2–8.3.
- USDA zones
- 7–9
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 6a–9b
- Soil pH
- 4.2–8.3
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Autumn Sage on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether autumn sage actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score autumn sage against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
What Autumn Sage is
Autumn Sage grows as a perennial and reaches around three feet at maturity. It blooms in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Autumn Sage
Autumn Sage grows in USDA zones 7 through 9. Autumn Sage does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.2 to 8.3, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
7-9
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 6a–9b
Soil pH
4.2 - 8.3
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
41°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant autumn sage in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Autumn Sage prefers pH 4.2 to 8.3 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water while it roots in
Water deeply while autumn sage establishes, letting the soil dry between soakings; once its roots are in, it rides out dry spells on its own.
Harvest at its peak
Cut autumn sage blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Autumn Sage thrives
Autumn Sage is hardy across USDA zones 7 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 7–9 spans average winter lows from 0°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 6 outright and splits 35 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 7–9·Where Autumn Sage growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Autumn Sage stands, state by state
Autumn Sage is rated for zones 7–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at 0 to 10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 6 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 35 more, and 10 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 7–9
6 states
- Alabama · zones 7b-9b
- Delaware · zones 7a-8a
- District of Columbia · zones 7b-8a
3 of 6 shown
The line runs through
35 states
3 of 35 shown
Autumn Sage’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 7–9
10 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- Montana · zones 3a-6b
- New Hampshire · zones 3b-6b
3 of 10 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Autumn Sage
Growing guides for autumn sage
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Autumn Sage is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Autumn Sage's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Autumn Sage will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether autumn sage actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Autumn Sage
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Autumn Sage in my zone?
Autumn Sage grows in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 9. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Autumn Sage?
Most growers plant autumn sage after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Autumn Sage need?
Autumn Sage needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Autumn Sage need?
Autumn Sage prefers soil pH 4.2 to 8.3, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Autumn Sage attract pollinators?
Yes — autumn sage's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Keep exploring Autumn Sage
Autumn Sage state by state
Every state autumn sage's zone reaches — 23 link straight to that state's autumn sage growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.