Violet Riot covers itself in vivid violet-blue flowers set in deep purple calyxes from late spring into early summer. Compared with older varieties like May Night, it has a denser, neater habit and a more concentrated display of color.
The rounded clump of aromatic, crinkled leaves stays tidy all season, in the ground or in a container. Shear it after the first flush to encourage more blooms. It is a pollinator favorite that deer and rabbits ignore.
What it looks like
Upright flower spikes 5 to 7 inches long tightly packed with small two-lipped florets in vivid violet-blue, held in deep purple calyxes. Spikes are numerous and even, covering the top of the plant. Leaves are lance-shaped, 2 to 3 inches long, green, aromatic and crinkled. The plant is a uniform, rounded clump about 22 inches tall and 20 to 24 inches wide. At peak it looks like a dense dome of violet 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, 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: Vivid violet-blue with deep purple calyxes
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Foliage: Green
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Growth habit: Uniform, rounded clump
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Mature size: 22 in tall × 20–24 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.