Salvia yangii
Blue sage
Common names: Perovskia, Russian sage
Photo: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The blue sage, botanically Salvia yangii and formerly known as Perovskia atriplicifolia, is a summer‑green semi‑shrub with finely split, silvery‑hairy foliage and an aromatic scent. From late summer into autumn it produces loose, blue‑violet panicles that are heavily visited by bumblebees and wild bees. As a steppe plant from Central Asia it loves full sun, lean soils and tolerates prolonged drought well. In the garden it looks best in groups among grasses and other steppe perennials, where its silvery leaves provide a calm contrasting point. It is non‑poisonous and suitable for gardens with children and pets.
Care instructions
Blue sage prefers warm, dry, full‑sun conditions; in partial shade the foliage loses its silvery sheen and growth becomes looser. It thrives on lean, well‑drained, slightly calcareous soils; heavy, water‑logged earth is detrimental to the roots. Water only regularly during the growing phase; thereafter it copes well with dryness and requires little extra water even in summer. Prune the shoots in early spring, roughly end of March to early April (week 13 to 14), cutting back to a hand‑breadth above the soil to keep the plant compact and flowering. Winter protection is generally unnecessary in most DACH regions; only at very exposed sites a loose straw mulch may help.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, dry, lime-loving
Feeding
Light feeder
Pruning
Companion planting
Good neighbors
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 9 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 34 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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