Sage Advice is a strong, upright Russian sage with rich purple flowers set in darker purple calyxes. It blooms early for its kind, starting around late July in Michigan, and carries color into early fall.
The oval, notched leaves are broader than most Russian sages, giving the plant a fuller, more substantial look at 32 to 36 inches tall. It is drought tolerant, deer resistant and very cold hardy, and the stems cut and dry well.
What it looks like
Upright, branching spires carry tiny, tubular flowers in rich violet-purple held in darker purple calyxes, on sturdy grayish stems. The leaves are oval, broad for a Russian sage, notched along the edges and silvery gray-green. The plant forms a strong, upright subshrub about 32 to 36 inches tall and 28 to 32 inches wide. At peak bloom it is a dense mass of deep purple spires over silvery foliage.
Growing it with lavender
Russian sage and lavender want the same hot sun and lean, sharp-draining soil, and its deep purple 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: Rich lavender-purple with darker calyxes
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Foliage: Silvery gray-green
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Growth habit: Strong, upright subshrub
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Mature size: 32–36 in tall × 28–32 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: Mid-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.