Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
9/5/02
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Maria Ball, Reiman Gardens, (515) 294-2710, mball@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033,
jmcguire@iastate.edu
Russian Sage is Not Foreign to Perennial Gardens
By Linda Naeve
Extension Coordinator
Reiman Gardens
Gardeners usually identify plants by sight, such as leaf color and shape, or flower color and form. This week's Reiman's Pick can easily be identified using another of our senses - smell. Russian sage, Perovskia artriplicifolia, has such a unique fragrance that gardeners familiar with it only need a whiff, not a peek, to identify it. Unique fragrances are common for members of this plant family (the mints), which includes many aromatic herbs; such as sage. The strong fragrance may be the reason rabbits and deer leave it alone and why it is rarely used flower arrangements.
Russian sage was likely named for its native habitat. It is native across a wide section of Eurasia, including Afghanistan, Russia and even northwestern China. Its Latin genus, Perovskia, honors a Russian general, V. A. Perovski (1763-1857).
Russian sage grows about three feet tall and two to three feet wide and has delicate, gray-green leaves. The foliage is feather-like and widely spaced on the stems, giving the plant an open, airy look. The small, lavender-blue flowers also contribute to its soft appearance. The flowers are arranged in whorls along branched stems that rise nearly 12 inches above the plant. Russian Sage provides color in the garden from mid-July through September, and remains attractive long into the fall.
A native of a harsh environment, Russian sage is tough and adaptable to many adverse conditions and is hardy as far north as zone 5. It is tolerant of dry conditions and alkaline, or high pH, soils, and grows best in a well-drained, sunny location. Russian sage is a low maintenance perennial that seems to thrive on neglect.
Container-grown nursery plants can be planted anytime during the growing season, from early spring to up to six weeks before a hard-killing frost. Tall, bushy Russian sage plants have a tendency to flop over late in the season. You can prevent or correct this problem by staking the plants.
In late fall, cut the stems back to six or eight inches above the ground so that new growth begins near the base of the plant. If not trimmed back, the plants will be very leggy and poorly shaped the following season. However, do not cut the stems off at ground level because the buds on the stems in the fall are next year's growing points.
Russian sage is recognized as an outstanding garden plant by gardeners throughout the country. In 1995, The Perennial Plant Association named Russian sage their "Perennial Plant of the Year." Each year, members vote for an outstanding perennial that is suitable for a wide range of climates, low maintenance, easily propagated (from seed or vegetative propagation), and exhibits multiple season interest. Russian sage clearly meets those requirements.
Russian sage is a great addition to any sunny perennial border because its light blue flowers form a misty-blue haze during the heat of summer. It is beautiful in a mass planting or singly as a specimen. The light color and delicate foliage of Russian sage blends and contrasts well with plants of any texture or color. For a beautiful fall display, combine it with fountain grass, 'Autumn Joy' sedum, purple coneflowers, asters and white-flowered boltonia.
Russian sage is beautifully displayed in the Town and Country Garden, but you can see Russian sage in mass plantings and in combination with various shrubs and perennial flowers throughout Reiman Gardens.
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