Russian sage

Russian Sage
If ever a plant was tailor-made for cold climates and growing conditions, Russian sage is that plant. An import from central Asia, Russian sage thrives in our high, dry climate and alkaline soils.

Russian sage grows about three feet tall and two feet wide with delicate, gray-green leaves that are feather-like and to two inches long. The foliage is widely spaced and the plants have an open, airy look.

Russian Sage
With the same silvery texture and excellent drought tolerance of the others, Little Spire rarely exceeds two feet tall and falls over only when trampled by your dog.

Russian sage is a woody-based perennial or subshrub with gray-white shoots and finely dissected silvery-green leaves. The foliage is aromatic when crushed. Square stems bear whorls of two-lipped, tubular violet-blue flowers in tall, branched panicles.

Russian Sage
Description
Perovskia atriplicifolia is a native to Afghanistan and was named the Perennial Plant Association's Plant of the Year in 1995. Russian Sage has tolerance to heat and drought and also will not be eaten by deer.

Russian Sage
With it airy spires of small, purple-blue flowers and finely-cut, gray-green foliage on upright, grayish-white stems, Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) adds a haze of color to the garden from midsummer into fall, ...

Russian sage is used here as a (very attractive) large scale groundcover on a freeway embankment in Kentucky.
Usage
Russian sage is at its best in mass plantings. Include a group of Russian sage in a mixed border.

Russian Sage Plant Profile and Tips for Growing
Russian Sage is not related to the Salvia family of plants, but provides gardeners with an amazing flower display in dry conditions.
Gazania - A Gem of a Bedding Plant from Africa ...

Russian Sage
"Here, some pinks & laurel leaves,
& a handful of sage." -Walt Whitman
(1819-1892) ...

Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) 120 x 90 cm, full sun, Zone 5
Ornamental Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum var. tanguticum), 120 x 90 cm, part shade to full sun, Zone 4 ...

Blue Spire Russian Sage ( Perovskia artriplicifolia )
Blue Spring Penstemon ( Penstemon )
Blue Spruce ( Picea pungens ) ...

Russian Sage, an old-fashioned perennial and herb, has made a dramatic comback in recent years, including its lofty status as the Perennial Plant Association's "Plant of the Year " in 1995.

Filigran Russian Sage [English]: Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Filigran'
Filigran Russian Sage [English]: Perovskia 'Filigran'
Filigree Beard Tongue [English]: Penstemon pinifolius ...

Russian Sage
Russian Sage Perovskia atriplicifolia
Sage
Bethlehem, Lungwort Pulmanaria saccharata
Garden or Common Salvia officinalis
Russian Perovskia atriplicifolia
Sagebrush
Big Artemisia tridentata
Saguaro
Saguaro Carnegiea gigantea ...

Perennials such as Russian sage or ornamental grasses in the background.
Combine them with bulbs or perennials that go dormant in the summer. *Mass them along paths or driveways.

The closely related genera Perovskia and Phlomis are also known as sage; Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia). Some species of the unrelated genus Artemisia are also referred to as sages, a shortened version of sagebrush.

Combines well with the blue flowers in the late summer garden, like Caryopteris, Russian sage and Catmint. The spiky flowers are also a nice contract with asters, sedum and coneflowers.

Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage) S: grey foliage, blue flowers
Sedum spectabile P: flowers white to deep pink
Thalictrum delavayi P: purple flowers
Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower) A: flowers in shades of orange ...

..the overall effect is a shimmering silver bush. From midsummer until early fall the plants are topped with fragrant, lavender-blue flowers...a great color echo for Russian sage. (Hardiness Zone 5-9) ...

Perovskia atriplicifolia Russian Sage
Phlomis species Jerusalem Sage
Rudbeckia species Black-eyed Susan
Ruellia brittoniana Mexican Petunia
Salvia greggi Texas Sage
Santolina species Lavender Cotton
Sedum species Stonecrop ...

Perennials such as Moonbeam Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata `Moonbeam`) with its light yellow flowers and the gray foliage and blue flowers of Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) combine well with the rose.

See also: Sage, Lavender, Aster, Green, May