Russian sage is a tough, woody-based perennial with airy spires of small violet-blue flowers over finely cut, silvery-green, aromatic leaves. It comes into bloom in late summer and keeps its color well into fall.
Growing 3 to 4 feet tall with a loose, open habit, it makes an excellent filler for the back of a border or a mass planting in a hot, dry site. It is very cold hardy, drought tolerant and deer resistant, and it needs little attention once established. It emerges late in spring, so do not give up on it early.
What it looks like
Tall, branching spires are covered in tiny, tubular, two-lipped flowers in violet-blue, held in fuzzy purple-gray calyxes and spaced along wiry, whitish stems. The leaves are small, finely dissected and silvery gray-green, with a pungent sage-like scent. The plant forms a loose, open, upright subshrub about 3 to 4 feet tall and 20 to 30 inches wide. At peak bloom it looks like a hazy, see-through cloud of blue-violet over silvery stems.
Growing it with lavender
Russian sage and lavender want the same hot sun and lean, sharp-draining soil, and its violet-blue spires take over in late summer after the main lavender bloom, carrying the silvery, fragrant look into fall.
Care
Plant in full sun in lean to average, well-drained soil; it thrives in heat and drought and dislikes wet feet. Hardy in zones 4-9. Leave the stems standing over winter, then in spring, once new buds show, cut back to just above the lowest set of new growth; it is slow to leaf out, so be patient.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Salvia yangii
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Flower color: Lavender-blue
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Foliage: Silvery gray-green
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Growth habit: Loose, open upright subshrub
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Mature size: 36 in–4 ft tall × 20–30 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Late-July
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Peak bloom: Late-August
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Great
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.