Azure Snow forms a neat, compact clump topped with dense spikes of two-tone flowers, deep violet-blue paired with white. The florets are packed evenly along each stem, so the spikes look full and polished.
It blooms from late spring into early summer, and a shearing after the first flush encourages more spikes. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit often, while deer and rabbits leave the aromatic leaves alone. Great for sunny borders, mass plantings and cutting.
What it looks like
Upright flower spikes 6 to 8 inches long, closely packed with small, hooded two-lipped florets; each floret is bicolored, deep violet-blue with a white lower lip, giving the spike a blue-and-white striped look. Dozens of spikes rise evenly above the foliage. Leaves are lance-shaped, dark green and slightly crinkled, 2 to 3 inches long. The plant is a compact, upright clump 18 to 20 inches tall and wide. At peak it looks like a tight bouquet of blue and white candles.
Growing it with lavender
Salvia wants the same full sun and lean, well-drained soil as lavender, and its upright spikes echo lavender's form while filling the gap before and after the main lavender bloom.
Care
Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil; it is drought tolerant once established. Hardy in zones 3-8; shear the plant back by about a third after the first flush of flowers to encourage rebloom.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Salvia
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Flower color: Deep violet-blue and white bicolor
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Foliage: Dark green
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Growth habit: Compact, upright clump
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Mature size: 18–20 in tall × 18–20 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Late-May
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Peak bloom: Mid-June
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Bloom pattern: Repeat Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.