Perovskia 'Blue Spire'
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained, poor to moderately fertile
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: August and September
- Hardiness: fully hardy
With its aromatic leaves and upright spikes of violet-blue flowers, Russian sage makes a wonderful companion to all kinds of late-summer ornamental grasses and perennials. Identified by the RHS as a plant which is 'Perfect for Pollinators' Russian sage will help attract and support bees and other pollinating and beneficial insects. It has also been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit for its garden worthiness.
In August and September, tiny, violet-blue, tubular flowers appear on silver-grey spikes above the main framework of the plant, among deeply-cut and lobed, grey-green leaves. This deciduous sub-shrub makes a real impact planted en masse alongside a path, where the sage-like fragrance of its leaves can be appreciated, or try it alongside other silver-leaved plants, or in swathes in a sunny border. One of our recommended plants, it copes well with dry, chalky soil and salt-laden air. - Garden care: As this shrub has a tendancy to flop a little, in March cut back to the permanent framework of the shrub to promote bushier growth. After pruning apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant.
Goes well with
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 5 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
80%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Attractive (4)
- Hardy (3)
Cons
Best Uses
- Garden (3)
Reviewed by 5 customers
Displaying reviews 1-5
Pros
- Attractive
- Bee-friendly
- Hardy
Cons
- Floppy
Best Uses
Comments about Crocus Perovskia 'Blue Spire':
This is a fantastic plant! I've got a couple together in the poorest soil imaginable. A hot, dusty border, full-sun and chalky soil and they are flourishing. This is the third year for them and each year they've been great. Beautiful colour flowers, attractive leaves and give height to the border. I should have put in plant supports as they grew (prune back hard in spring) as once they've got the flowers, the stems do flop. But hard to sort that now they're attracting so many bees! Thoroughly recommend this plant - and I get flowers throughout July and all the way through well into autumn.
- Your Gardening Experience:
- Real novice
Pros
- Accurate Instructions
- Attractive
- Fragrant
- Hardy
- Healthy
- Lightweight
- Versatile
- Winter Interes
Cons
- Flimsy
Best Uses
- Garden
- Outdoors
Comments about Perovskia 'Blue Spire':
perovskia takes quite a long time to get going. It's a late summer bloomer but when it does start flowering it goes on and on for months. These specimens were quite small and took their time to bulk up but did eventually overtake the ones I bought from a garden centre that were larger, and these flowered for longer.
- Your Gardening Experience:
- Experienced
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Images shared by Snow bunny
Even looks good in winter
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
- You may also flag this review
Comments about Perovskia 'Blue Spire':
purchased new plant in March, very slow to start and come up, flower display only average, very floppy, needs staking. I had bought this to go with the gaura but would have been disappointed with the display had I not had the chocolate cosmos to go with it.
Pros
- Accurate Instructions
- Attractive
- Hardy
- Healthy
- Lightweight
- Summer Screening
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Garden
- Outdoors
- Patio
Comments about Perovskia 'Blue Spire':
I needed a large perennial for a hot sunny spot,that would go well with Mediterranean plants near a terrace in a blue, white and pale pink colour scheme. I planted these in a row in a raised bed was able to have some exposure to wind. From late May onwards they gave us fabulous pale purple display about 3 feet high and I have not cut them back. They are still, in mid December, providing our use as a lovely serial screen of pale grey stems and branchlets, spectacular in the few frosts we've had.as we had a fairly hostile April in this region they were slow in getting going, but that is the only negative. I would recommend giving these plenty of room to show their full glory.
- Your Gardening Experience:
- Experienced
Pros
- Attractive
Cons
Best Uses
- Garden
Comments about Perovskia 'Blue Spire':
Crocus gave me the idea to grow it with irises. I did so and it lookedreally good so will buy more.
- Your Gardening Experience:
- Experienced
Displaying reviews 1-5
Do you want to ask a question about this?
If so, click on the button and fill in the box below. We will post the question on the website, together with your alias (bunnykins, digger1, plantdotty etc etc) and where you are from (Sunningdale/Glasgow etc). We'll also post the answer to your question!Q:
I bought 3 of these from you earlier this year & am about to plant them out, but I'm not sure how to position them as I don't remember how big they growAsked on 28/4/2015 by Jax from United Kingdom1 answer
A:
Hello,
These plants have an eventual height of around 1.2m and spread of 1m.Answered on 15/5/2015 by Helen from crocus
Q:
Hi, I have a 'Blue Spire' plant that is in need of help! It has 3 branches, each is bare for about 6 inches from the soil up, after that it's bushy, leafy and covered in flowers. Sadly, it looks ridiculous because of the naked bottom (so to speak). Is there anything I can do to encourage new branches from the base or is it a lost cause?Asked on 18/8/2014 by CB from Aberdeen1 answer
A:
Hello,
Perovskias do have the tendency to become leggy, so we recommend giving the a hard prune, each year in mid-spring, just as the new growth is starting to emerge. If you have not done this previously, then you should cut back all the stems to approximately 5 - 10cm above ground level. In subsequent years, you can then cut the stems back again to within 3 or 4 buds from the old wood.Answered on 27/8/2014 by helen from crocus
Q:
Any reason why myplants are not flowering?
Hello. I have some plants that seem to be happy and growing well but aren't flowering- two Fuchsias, a Crambe cordiflora, and a Geranium 'Buxton's blue'. Even those that are flowering are a bit rubbish - a Perovskia 'Blue Spire' and some Verbena bonariensis have produced some flowers but not many. What can I do to improve flowering - is there a particular feed or fertiliser I should use? The soil is dense london clay, but the garden is not shady, but nor is it in full sun. It is quite sheltered. Many thanks, RobertAsked on 26/7/2009 by Robert Wilne1 answer
A:
Hello There, There are a number of reasons why plants don't flower including too much shade, not enough water or nutrients, or pruning at the wrong time of the year. It can also be caused by the plant putting on new root growth instead of focusing its energies on producing flowers. I am not really sure why yours has not produced buds, but you can often give them a bit of a push by feeding with a high potash fertiliser. I hope this helps. Helen Plant DoctorAnswered on 27/7/2009 by Crocus Helpdesk
How to get more flowers
Many flowering plants can be encouraged to produce better and longer-lasting displays with the minimum of effort. A plant produces flowers in order to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. Once a plant has flowered and fertilisation has taken
Read full articlePrairie
Indulge a passion for ornamental grasses by creating a prairie- or meadow-style garden. They can be richly planted with native wildflowers or a selection of complementary perennials and self-seeding annuals to create a naturalistic planting effect.
Read full articleApril pruning of trees, shrubs and
climbers
Many shrubs, trees and climbers are showing signs of growth, so it is an ideal time to check them over for winter damage. If you feel they need a little care and attention, here are a few notes to use as a pruning guide. during April.
Read full articlePepperpots, lace and satin-white skeletons for the autumn garden
As the days shorten, the autumn sun sinks a little lower every day and begins to backlight the borders, picking up detail and silhouette. There’s plenty to enjoy and seed heads, in suitably autumnal shades of brown and silver take centre stage, often last
Read full articleLow maintenance plants for a sunny garden
We all want a lovely garden but sometimes we are too busy with work and family, or we simply don’t have the inclination to garden incessantly, so the trick is to choose low maintenance plants such as easy shrubs and then to underplant them with ground cov
Read full article
Crocus response:Thanks for your feedback and your photo - it looks great against the low light!
It is true that plants in a garden centre will often look bigger and better than ours in early spring, as we grow our plants 'hard' (ie the hardy ones stay outside throughout the winter), rather than plants you will see in a garden centre (the majority of which are grown under glass and 'forced' into growth). The benefit of buying ours however is that they tend to be tougher and rarely suffer a setback from the sudden changes in temperatures when they get home.