Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage

Bring hummingbirds in and keep deer out with this colorful, fragrant perennial.

Every garden, and every busy gardener, deserves a perennial such as Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage. Very easy to grow, adaptable to stresses of all kinds, and long-lived, it is a maintenance-free joy for years and years. What luck that its also so beautiful and fragrant.

This perennial begins flowering in midsummer, sending tall spikes of pure blue straight upwards above lacy, finely-cut silvery foliage. Planted among roses, 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage makes a lovely succession, coming into its own just as the hybrid teas and floribundas are ending their big spring-to-summer bloom show. The flowers continue well into fall, a magnet for every hummingbird in the neighborhood (who says they only like yellow or red flowers) and a natural pest repellent for every nibbling creature from deer on down. That's another merit of their friendship with roses: the highly scented foliage will keep pests away from spring through fall.

Reaching between two and three feet tall and just a bit wider, 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage doesn't occupy a lot of space in the sunny garden, which makes its impact all the more impressive. We like a line of about 4 to 6 plants offering a ribbon of color and fragrance, but even solitary plantings dotted among the perennials make a big impact. This is a great choice for hot, dry garden trouble spots, too—you can fearlessly line the driveway with 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage, or use it as a street planting. And if you live on the coast, bear in mind that this perennial loves salt spray.

The only maintenance 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage asks is a yearly trim, right down a few inches above the ground, in late winter or earliest spring. This will make the branching more dense and the flowering more vigorous. What a pleasure for any location in the sunny landscape.