Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Prime Time Russian Sage: Blue Spires That Take Over From Lavender
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Prime Time Russian sage is an upright, full Russian sage with dense spikes of tiny blue flowers set in smoky purple calyxes. It starts blooming in midsummer, about a week ahead of comparable Russian sages, and the calyxes hold their color into fall long after the flowers drop. Brush the gray-green stems and you get a sharp, sage-like scent.
If you could design a plant to stand behind lavender, it might look like this. Same hot sun, same lean, sharp-draining soil, same silvery, aromatic character, and its bloom picks up right where lavender's main show leaves off.
Prime Time at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Salvia yangii 'Prime Time' |
| Flowers | Blue, in dusky purple calyxes, on dense upright spikes |
| Foliage | Gray-green, fuller and less finely cut than typical Russian sage |
| Size | 30 to 36 inches tall, 24 to 30 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts mid-July, peaks mid-August, continues into early fall |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 9 |
| Fragrance | Strong, sharp, sage-like scent from leaves and stems |
| Wildlife | Great for pollinators; deer resistant |
The natural next act
Lavender and Russian sage are a classic pairing for good reason. They share a palette of silver foliage and blue-violet flowers, and they hate the same things: rich soil, wet feet and coddling. Put Prime Time in the middle or back of a lavender bed, and when you cut your lavender in early summer, the Russian sage is just starting. By mid-August it is a thick column of blue and smoky purple, keeping the bed looking like a lavender field into fall.
Prime Time's strong, upright stems and fuller leaves give it a more solid look than the usual airy, floppy Russian sage, which makes it a tidier backdrop. Lay out the rows in the Companion Plant Planner.
Care: mostly restraint
- Soil: lean to average, well drained. Rich, moist soil makes stems lanky and floppy.
- Water: it thrives in heat and drought once established, one of the best perennials for hot, exposed sites.
- Pests and disease: rarely bothered. Root rot in wet, heavy soil is the main risk.
- Winter: hardy in Michigan in well-drained soil. Leave stems standing for winter interest.
Spring pruning, step by step
- Wait until spring, when new buds appear along the lower stems. It is slow to leaf out, so be patient.
- Cut the stems back to about 6 to 12 inches, just above the lowest set of new growth.
- Clean up the old stems. New shoots fill in quickly once the weather warms.
The Lavender Pruning Calendar helps you time lavender pruning alongside it.
Cutting and drying
The spikes are good for cutting and dry well. Dried Russian sage and dried lavender make a matched, silvery-blue bundle.
Plug tray or bare root
Prime Time is offered as a 72-cell plug tray for mass plantings and growers, and as a bare root plant for direct planting. See each product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Is Russian sage a real sage?
It is now classified in the salvia family as Salvia yangii, but it is grown as an ornamental, not as a culinary herb.
Why did my Russian sage not come back?
Give it time. It leafs out late in spring. If the soil stayed wet over winter, though, root rot may be the cause.
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