Scientific name: Perovskia atriplicifolia
Family: LAMIACEAE
Common names: “Russian sage”
Plant Type: Deciduous sub-shrub
Conditions:
Zone: 5-9
Light: Full sun
Exposure: Exposed or sheltered
Soil: Average fertility- poor, doesn’t like clay
Moisture: Moist well drained – dry , drought tolerant
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: H 3-4′ W 2-3′
Leaf and Stem shape: Upright white stems bearing finely divided grey-green aromatic leaves
Flower: Long terminal panicles of tiny blue flowers in late summer and early autumn
Pruning: Never cut it down right to the ground, leave some very clear buds and 1″ of good green
Maintenance: Low, cut back flowered spikes in Spring or Fall
Landscape use: Flower beds, coastal cottage, informal garden
Propagate: By cuttings
Pests & Disease: None in Victoria
*Deer resistant ♥ Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies
Comments: Beautiful architectural structured easy care plant, can be used for making sage smudging sticks
Cultivars: P. a. ‘Blue Spire’ – ~AGM winner
P. a. ‘Little Spire’ – dwarf form, Perennial Plant of the Year award in 1995