Russian Sage

Ornamental Features:

Russian Sage features delicate spikes of lavender flowers rising above the foliage from early summer to mid fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It's attractive fragrant narrow leaves emerge silver in spring, turning grayish green in colour throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes:

Russian Sage is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance perennial, and is best cut back to the ground in late winter before active growth resumes. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Russian Sage is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Mass Planting
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Plant Characteristics:

Russian Sage will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity extending to 4 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This perennial should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for alkaline soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This plant can be propagated by seed.

This species is not originally from North America.