May be planted in full sun along coastal California with a thick mulch and regular water. Otherwise, morning to late afternoon sun or filtered light will work well. Forsythia sage prefers a warm climate, regular irrigation and a rich humus soil. Tolerant of less water, however, plants will be shorter and have less vigor. Prune hard after frost and heavily mulch in colder climates. It is cold hardy to 20 degrees, possibly lower if well established. Perfect choice for use in cut flower arrangements and it is a hummingbird magnet in the garden.

Salvia madrensis comes from 4000 to 5000 feet in the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico in the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Durango. The name Salvia comes from the Latin name used by Pliny for the plant and comes from the Latin word 'salvere' meaning "to save" in reference to the long-believed healing properties of several Sage species and the specific epithet refers to its mountainous origin. This selection from a Raleigh, North Carolina garden was selected and cleverly named by Tony Avent and introduced at his Plant Delights Nursery in 2002. We grew this fun plant from 2005 until 2010. 

The information displayed on this page about Salvia madrensis 'Red Neck Girl' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.