PlantFiles: Russian Sage
Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Little Spire'

Very nice, not quite as tall as standard Russian Sage, though it does like to spread. Blooms June-October in my garden. PP #11643

I have bought this plant on 2 seperate occasions and both times grew a 3' plant too big for the spaces I put them in. I like the toughness it offers and color/texture. I am trying a new cultivar from Europe called Lacey Blue that is supposed to stay under 20" in height and is very compact.

Well, I'm happy to consider that the Perovskia "Little Spires" that I bought were mismarked, but mine are easily 4 feet tall, sprawling all over the place. Beautiful, though, and loved by a pair of goldfinches. I'm going to try pinching them back in June at least once to keep them more manageable.

In Minnesota, I have used many of these wonderful perennials as background or center-bed accents in my landscape berms for the past four years. They have grown nicely everywhere, but they seem to be most prolific in the beds covered with a natural cedar mulch. Those planted in beds covered with river rock still give me a nice display bush, but the rock seems to limit some of their natural tendancy to multiply and expand. Don't plant them any closer than 3' apart, if you want them to look like separate plants/bushes. They are fairly carefree, need no staking and grow to about 3' high by early August and bloom from July to the first frost. I trim them down to about 8 inches after the snow melts, but before the new spring growth begins. I especially love the sage fragrance of the foliage and the way they attract droves of honey bees, bumble bees and butterflies.

First year I have grown these i my rock garden. They are still in bloom in Virginia!

Can anyone tell me, am I supposed to trim the back for the winter?

Thank you, I love the website.

This is the only variety of Russian sage I have grown, but I am in love with it. So are the bees and butterflies. It never flops. Provides an almost season-long cloud of wonderful blue that goes with everything in my zone 6b garden.

In my zone 4b central Michigan garden, Little Spire grows wonderfully. I had hoped (and tried) for many years to stretch Perovskia atriplicifolia (Zone 5) into growing for me. Then 2 years ago, I found Little Spire (Zone 4) and it looks just the way I had hoped the regular Russian sage would look. The added bonus for me is that it really seems to love the sandy soil it calls home.