Blue Steel Russian Sage
Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Blue Steel'
Height: 28 inches
Spacing: 24 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4a
Brand: PanAmerican Seed
Description:
This colorful compact variety forms a dense mound of lacy, fragrant, gray-green leaves, producing spikes of lavender-blue flowers held in smoky purple calyxes from summer until fall; a vigorous grower, excellent for the garden or mixed containers
Ornamental Features
Blue Steel Russian Sage features delicate spikes of lavender flowers with blue overtones and purple calyces rising above the foliage from early to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive fragrant narrow leaves emerge silver in spring, turning grayish green in color throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Blue Steel 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 plant, and is best cut back to the ground in late winter before active growth resumes. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds 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.
Blue Steel Russian Sage is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
Planting & Growing
Blue Steel Russian Sage will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 28 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant 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 is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
