Dark Sky is a large salvia with deep indigo-blue flowers, the darkest color in its series. Tall, branching flower stems rise from a thick rosette of big green leaves, and plenty of side shoots keep it blooming.
It starts flowering a bit later than most perennial salvias and grows quickly into a clump over 2 feet tall and wide. It suits larger borders, mass plantings and bold combinations with yellow or white flowers.
What it looks like
Tall, branched flower stems 12 to 18 inches long lined with small two-lipped florets in deep indigo-blue, set in dark purple calyxes, with many secondary side spikes. The spikes rise high above a dense basal rosette. Leaves are large, broad, oval to lance-shaped, 4 to 6 inches long, mid-green and crinkled. The plant is a full clump 24 to 28 inches tall and 28 to 32 inches wide. At peak it is a broad mass of dark indigo spires over leafy green foliage.
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 and grows quickly. Hardy in zones 3-8; after the first bloom, cut spent spikes down to the leafy base to encourage side branches and more flowers.
At a glance
-
Botanical name: Salvia
-
Flower color: Deep indigo-blue
-
Foliage: Mid-green
-
Growth habit: Large, rounded clump with basal rosette
-
Mature size: 24–28 in tall × 28–32 in wide
-
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
-
Light: full sun
-
Bloom start: Early-June
-
Peak bloom: Late-June
-
Bloom pattern: Repeat Blooming
-
Deer resistance: Resistant
-
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.