Perovskia 'BLUE SPIRE' perovskia, Russian sage

Blue Spire is a hybrid between two types of perovskia. It was first introduced to RHS in 1961 and since late 80´s it has been in cultivation in most of the world with mild climate. It is a very hardy plant originally found in Central Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan) but is successfully grown even further north.

Perovskia is a fantastic plant offering an extremely long time of attractivity. It bears profusion of indigo-blue flowers that open up from hairy, violet buds. These buds appear from early summer and take quite some time before they let the flowers out which usually happens from mid August. Thus the plant keeps its fluffy violet appearance for as long as nearly 3 months.

Leaves are deeply lobed but narrow, blue-green, and the stalks are silvery blue. They grow about 1m tall and the plant can get as wide with age. Perovskia does resemble lavender but offers a much longer flowering time and is able to survive lower temperatures in winter. This makes it a great choice for any garden from the south up well north.

Grow it in full sun and preferably not too fertile soil with good drainage that will enable the plant survive wet winters. After making an extensive root system it is quite draught tolerant. Cut back to about one third or one fourth of last year's growth every spring to keep the base strong and to make it produce more flowering stems. Fully hardy to -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 30-08-2009