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Great Design Plant: Blue Sage
True blue and adored by hummingbirds, blue sage is easy to grow from seed in a sunny fall garden
Houzz Contributor. I'm the author of several books including Sleep, Creep, Leap: The First Three Years of a Nebraska Garden. I manage Monarch Gardens, a native prairie garden consulting business for homeowners, schools and small businesses, and serve on the board for Wachiska Audubon, a prairie conservation group. A professor of English, I garden in Lincoln, Nebraska (zone 5) with an award-winning 2,000 square feet of native plants, and blog about writing and gardening at The Deep Middle.
Houzz Contributor. I'm the author of several books including Sleep, Creep,... More »
There's plenty going on in the fall if you have some blue sage. Bumblebees are dangling from its tubular blooms as hummingbirds fuel up on their migration south, and the aromatic scent of the plant's leaves is spicing up the deep autumn musks.
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by Benjamin Vogt
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| Common names: Blue sage, pitcher sage, sage Botanical name: Salvia azurea USDA zones: 4 to 9 (find your zone) Water requirement: Tolerates drought; prefers regular water in well-drained clay, sandy or rocky soils Light requirement: Full sun to some shade Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide Benefits and tolerances: Attracts beneficial insects; easy to grow on your own from seeds; deer resistant Seasonal interest: Early to midfall blooms; spent flower heads provide winter interest. When to plant: Early spring to late fall; mulch well in late fall to prevent frost heave. |
by Benjamin Vogt
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Distinguishing traits. Blue sage is a true blue flower, which is rare in the plant world, especially for a noncultivar. It grows well in full sun and medium to dry soils, never putting up a fuss. It very slowly spreads to form a clump 1 to 2 feet in diameter with many flower stalks. Salvia azurea 'Nekan' is a hardy, bigger-bloomed sport found in northern Lincoln, Nebraska.
| How to use it. Blue sage can go almost anywhere due to its small footprint. Tuck it among grasses or mounding perennials, and let it tower above them in late fall, adding dramatic yet subtle interest to an October garden. Shown with golden aster |
by Benjamin Vogt
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Planting notes. Salvia azurea will gently self-sow, but what's even more fun is to gather its small seeds and sow them yourself indoors over winter. You'll know when to gather seeds by the brown color of the outer pod (as seen here).
The seeds easily germinate without any treatment, and the leaves are an aromatic delight in cold January as you get a head start for spring planting. Cut it back 50 percent just once before July 4 for a bushier and shorter habit, or leave it alone for the tall spikes that hummingbirds prefer.
More: Keep Your Garden on Point With Spikes of Purple
The seeds easily germinate without any treatment, and the leaves are an aromatic delight in cold January as you get a head start for spring planting. Cut it back 50 percent just once before July 4 for a bushier and shorter habit, or leave it alone for the tall spikes that hummingbirds prefer.
More: Keep Your Garden on Point With Spikes of Purple
Comments
davnric I'm starting a native garden in the hills of NE Georgia and your pictures and information are very helpful. Thanks!
8 months ago · Like
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Katherine Marle_Moberg I love my blue sages, but becareful, it can spread so easily it can become a problem.
8 months ago · Like
davnric Thanks, Katherine. I'll make sure it's not on the invasive list in my area before I plant.
8 months ago · Like
Benjamin Vogt I don't know where you guys are located, and I know this salvia has a large native range, but you should always try to plant native to your area. If you see a flower you like, do research it first. I know we're gardeners, and a definition of such means we tend to want a plant to stay where it is and behave, but most plants aren't like that--they are wild. I garden for prairie here in Nebraska, which means I accept and embrace letting plants do what they want. I'm still a gardener with a vision, but I want nature to do its thing, too--which is why I choose native plants that support native insects, birds, and other widlife, creatures which are my principle concern when gardening with what's left of native ecosystems. Didn't mean to preach, but that's how I see gardening. Take what you will.
8 months ago · Like
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Ideabook published on Oct. 12, 2012.
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