Perovskia atriplicifolia

Sizes available: True gallon

Basics: zones 5-9, 36-60" x 36", full sun, small blue-ish purple flowers on long wands of delicate, gray-green leaves in the summer, needs good drainage, does not mind lean soils, drought tolerant

Common names: Russian Sage

Synonym: Salvia yangii

Family: Lamiaceae

Origin/Distribution: native to western China, northwestern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, eastern Europe

Habitat: sunny steppes, hills, mountainous regions (Himalayas)

More: A large, shrubby perennial that is long-blooming, drought and salt tolerant, deer and rabbit resistant, and has been used medicinally. The flowers attract various pollinators as well as hummingbirds. Some sources classify this as a subshrub. Flowers bloom on new growth, so cut back hard just above active shoots in early spring.

Nursery: Van Berkum

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons