Ornamental · Lamiaceae
Russian Sage
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Give it full sun and dry, sharp-draining soil, and Russian sage rewards you with a haze of blue from midsummer to fall.
Full sun
Every 10–21 days
USDA 4–9
2–4 ft · 0.6–1.2 m
Overview
Russian sage is a tough, woody-based perennial grown for its silvery stems and clouds of small blue flowers. The name misleads on both counts, since it hails from central Asia and is no relation to the sage you cook with. What it offers instead is a long bloom and a near-total indifference to drought, heat, and poor soil.
It earns its keep where little else thrives. Plant it in a hot, dry bed with lean ground and it shrugs off the conditions that would sink fussier perennials. The aromatic foliage also tends to keep deer and rabbits browsing elsewhere, which is why it shows up so often in xeric and low-care gardens.
The trade-off is that it wants things spare. Rich soil, shade, or too much water push it into weak, leggy growth that splits open in the middle by midsummer. Keep it lean and sunny, cut it hard each spring, and the plant stays upright and covered in haze-blue bloom for months.
Care
The short version: full sun and sharp drainage above all else. Keep the soil lean and on the dry side once the plant is established, skip the fertilizer, and cut every stem back almost to the ground in late winter.
Light
Give Russian sage full sun, the more the better. It will limp along in part shade, but the stems stretch, weaken, and flop, and the flowering thins out. Sun is what keeps it stiff and upright.
Water
Once established, this is one of the most drought-tolerant perennials you can grow. Water it through the first season to build deep roots, then back right off and let the soil dry out, since soggy ground does far more harm than dry ground ever will.
Soil
Sharp drainage is the one thing it can't live without. It takes poor, dry, clay, and even alkaline ground in stride across a wide pH of 6.0 to 8.0, but wet, heavy soil will rot the roots and kill it.
Temperature
It is remarkably hardy, taking winter cold down to -29°F (-34°C) and summer heat up to 100°F (38°C) without complaint. That range is what lets it grow across zones 4 to 9.
Humidity
Low humidity suits it perfectly, which fits its love of hot, dry sites. Damp, still air is more of a problem than dry air, so give it room and good airflow.
Feeding
Less is more here. Russian sage wants lean soil and little or no fertilizer, and a spring feed at most. Overfeed it and you get a tall, floppy plant with weak stems.
Pruning
Cut every stem back almost to the ground in late winter or early spring as new growth shows. This hard cut is what drives strong, upright flowering shoots and keeps the plant from splaying open later in the season.
Repotting
It rarely needs repotting and is happiest left in place. If you do grow it in a container, watch for roots circling the pot or water running straight through, both signs it has outgrown its home.
Size & spacing
Plants reach 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) tall and spread about as wide, 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm). Give each one that much room so air moves freely and the stems have space to stand.
When to plant
Russian sage is hardy from zones 4 to 9 and wakes up slowly in spring. Set young plants out after the last frost, cut the old growth back hard as new shoots appear, and the flowers arrive from July and carry on through October.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: late winter to early spring; seed germinates in 1-4 months at 60-65 degrees F
- Plant: spring after last frost
- Harvest: July to October
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Russian sage has few real troubles, and the two that come up both trace back to the same mistake: too much water or soil that is too rich. Read the early signs and the fix is almost always to dry things out and open the plant to sun.
The plant wilts and fails in wet ground
When a Russian sage wilts even though the soil is wet, the cause is almost always root rot from soggy, poorly drained ground. Damp soil invites pythium and phytophthora, which turn the roots brown and soft. Move it to a raised, sharply drained spot, water far less, and pull any plant that has rotted past saving.
Fix:
- Improve drainage or move to a raised, sharply drained site
- Reduce irrigation and let soil dry between waterings
- Remove and discard severely rotted plants
Stems sprawl and the plant splits open in the middle
This is the classic flop, and it usually means too much shade or soil that is too rich and damp, which pushes weak, leggy growth. Plants left uncut over winter open up the same way after they bloom. Site it in full sun on lean, dry ground, ease off the water and feed, and cut it back hard each spring.
Fix:
- Cut stems back almost to the ground in late winter to early spring
- Move or site in full sun with lean, well-drained soil
- Reduce watering and fertilizer
Toxicity
Good news for households with pets and children. The ASPCA lists Russian sage as non-toxic, so cats, dogs, and the rest can brush against it or take a curious bite with nothing more than a strong taste to show for it. The only real rule is not to treat it as a kitchen herb.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe for cats. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic, so a curious nibble of the aromatic leaves is nothing to worry about.
Dogs None
No toxicity to dogs has been reported. A dog that chews a stem may not enjoy the strong scent, but it won't be harmed.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze near it without trouble. Nothing in the plant is poisonous, though the bitter, aromatic foliage tends to keep them browsing elsewhere.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits leave it alone for the most part, and that is a bonus rather than a risk. The pungent leaves are safe but rarely tempting.
Livestock Safe
No concern for cattle, goats, or sheep. The plant carries no known toxins, and its sharp aroma usually steers grazing animals away.
Birds Safe
Harmless to birds. The flowers draw pollinators all summer, and the plant poses no danger to anything that visits.
People Safe
Safe to handle and grow around children. Despite the name it is not a culinary sage, so enjoy the scent but leave it out of the kitchen.
Aromatic foliage; despite the common name it is not a true culinary sage and should not be eaten.
Varieties
Most named Russian sages are bred to stand taller and flop less than the wild species. These are the ones you'll find most often.
Little Spire
A compact cultivar that stays around 18 to 24 inches (2 feet) tall and holds itself more upright, so it flops far less than the species.
Blue Spire
An upright form near 3 feet tall with deeply cut leaves and big panicles of violet-blue flowers.
Longin
A tall, narrow selection reaching about 4 feet in both height and width, with a notably stiff, very upright habit.
Filigran
Grows 2 to 3 feet tall with finely dissected, lacy foliage on an upright frame.
How to propagate
You can multiply Russian sage from cuttings or seed, though the method matters if you want a particular cultivar to come true.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Summer · Several weeks to a few months
Cuttings are the best way to copy a named cultivar, since seedlings won't come true. Take 3 to 4 inch softwood cuttings in summer, and they root over several weeks to a few months into plants identical to the parent.
SeedModerate
Any time of year, just covering the seed · Germinates in 1-4 months at 60-65 degrees F
You can sow seed any time, barely covering it, but be patient because germination takes 1 to 4 months at 60°F to 65°F (16°C to 18°C). A spell of cold can improve the odds, and seedlings of the species vary, so expect some difference from plant to plant.
DivisionDemanding
Spring · Slow
Division is the hardest route and rarely worth it. This woody-based subshrub resents being split, recovers slowly in spring, and seldom needs it, so reach for cuttings or seed instead.
Myths
Russian sage is a culinary sage you can cook with like garden sage.
It is Perovskia, now reclassified as Salvia yangii, and it is grown purely as an ornamental. The crushed foliage only smells of sage and has no place in the kitchen. It is neither Russian nor a true sage, but a native of central Asia.