Midnight Model carries big, bold violet-blue flowers on a round, dense clump, a clear improvement on older blue salvias for flower size and color. It blooms from late spring into early summer.
At about 2 feet tall it fits the middle of a sunny border and looks good in cottage gardens and larger containers. Bees and hummingbirds visit often, and deer and rabbits leave it alone.
What it looks like
Upright, branched flower spikes 8 to 10 inches long with large hooded florets, about 3/4 inch long, in rich violet-blue, spaced along dark stems. Spikes rise above a basal mound of leaves. Leaves are broad, oval to lance-shaped, 3 to 5 inches long, mid-green and crinkled. The plant forms a round, dense clump 22 to 24 inches tall and 20 to 22 inches wide. At peak it looks like a rounded mass of bold violet-blue spires.
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 to fertile, well-drained soil; it handles dry spells once established. Hardy in zones 3-8; cut faded spikes back to the leafy base after bloom to tidy the plant and encourage more flowers.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Salvia
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Flower color: Violet-blue
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Foliage: Mid-green
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Growth habit: Round, dense clump
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Mature size: 22–24 in tall × 20–22 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.