Bumbleblue is a small salvia with a lot of flowers, covering its compact mound with violet-blue spikes in early summer. Pollinators, especially bumblebees, visit constantly while it is in bloom.
At 12 to 16 inches tall it is sized for the front of the border, edging a path or growing in a container. The healthy, crinkled, aromatic leaves look good all season, and deer and rabbits tend to leave them alone.
What it looks like
Short, dense flower spikes 3 to 5 inches long crowded with small two-lipped florets in violet-blue, in purplish calyxes. Spikes are numerous and evenly spread across the top of the plant. Leaves are lance-shaped, 1.5 to 2.5 inches long, deep green, aromatic and crinkled. The plant is a compact, upright clump 12 to 16 inches tall and 14 to 20 inches wide. At peak it is a dense little mound of violet-blue spikes.
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 fades to encourage fresh growth and another round of flowers.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Salvia nemorosa
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Flower color: Violet-blue
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Foliage: Deep green
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Growth habit: Upright clump
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Mature size: 12–16 in tall × 14–20 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Early-June
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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.