Although it now lies in winter ruin, Salvia puberula 'El Butano' is a must-have perennial for the late-season garden. I foresee it becoming a pass-a-long like the pink Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis Flora Plena) which is so emblematic of the South.
This is not your typical "salvia", for one, it has large heart-shaped leaves with a pungent yet weirdly pleasing odor. It spreads around slowly, is never aggressive, and has thick fibrous stems that tend to fall over in wind storms. Around the end of September or early October, it erupts in big spherical buds (some people call this rose-bud sage), that gradually transition into clusters of pink-purple blooms. The color is reminiscent of some old lady lipstick I've seen, often applied with shaky hands.
It has taken me some trial and error to find out the best culture for this salvia. But I've come to see that it performs best in a dryish semi-woodland setting. It does require sun, but full sun can accelerate plant wilt and bloom fade. It does like a deep drenching of water during our hottest months.
Like virtually all salvias or aromatic herbs, Salvia puberula isn't preferred by deer. Yet I did notice some slender little caterpillars were eating the leaves earlier in the year, but they must have moved on. Other than that, the only thing I feel will kill this plant is a wet cold environment and/ or soils that don't freely drain. Soils high in sand and loam are its preferred substrate.
As far as propagation goes, it is fairly easy to root via semi-hard cuttings. I've also had success through division. I like to do these throughout the growing season and preserve a few indoors over the winter just in case in the rare event that I lose them outdoors. That hasn't happened to me yet, but it is a very real possibility as with most Mexican Salvias.
So if you love enhancing your yard with late-season color, and love big gaudy outrageous plants like I do, I can't recommend this sage enough!