A blue beauty that doesn’t need to be watered! Perovskia blooms for months at a time, attracts bees and can withstand even the greatest heat. All she needs is sun and poor soil. It is undemanding and thus suitable for every garden.
Where did it come from and why is it called Russian sage?
Perovskie, or Russian sage, is becoming more and more popular in Czech gardens, because it offers a view of blue carpets and even a shower of flowers without the constant pain of cutting and the sensitivity to wet winters that it sometimes has.
It is semi-shrubwhich has silvery stems and tiny blue-purple flowers. If you don’t tame it sometimes, petrovskie can grow into really big bushes that can cover not only the fence, but also other less interesting parts of the garden.
Despite its name, it does not come from Russia, but rather from the dry steppes and rocky slopes of Central Asia, from Afghanistan to Tibet. It was named after the Russian general Perovsky, but botanically it has more than anything else, which you can tell as soon as you brush its leaves. They spend a lot strong, spicy scentwhich is something between sage and pine, and believe me you will smell it before you see the plant.
In this post from Dana TV’s Zahrady YouTube channel, you will learn what perovskie is.
Advantages and a few things to watch out for
Like any plant, this one has its pros and cons, although in this case there are more pros and cons.
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Tremendous drought tolerance is its greatest weapon, because once it takes root, it basically doesn’t need to be watered even in the hottest weather.
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Long flowering time you will be delighted because it starts in July and lasts until the autumn frosts, when most other flowers have long faded.
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An attractant for pollinatorswhen you will see bees and bumblebees on the blue spikes from morning to evening.
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A disadvantage it may have a tendency to spread, if you put it in too nutritious soil or in the shade, then the stems do not hold firmly and lie on the ground.
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Allergiesin more sensitive people, contact with the leaves can cause slight skin irritation, so it is better to wear gloves when cutting.
How to grow it in our conditions?
In the Czech Republic, perovskia thrives excellently if you follow one golden rule and that is the sun.
- Find her heat stroke: Put it in the sunniest place you have in the garden. The more you burn it, the better it will smell and the stronger its stems will be.
- The soil must be poor: Forget fertilizing or black soil. Perovskie loves sandy, stony and even calcareous soil. Above all, it must not stand in the wet, otherwise its roots will rot over the winter.
- Regular pruning in early spring: This is important to keep the bush dense and compact. Every year in March, as soon as the worst frosts have subsided, cut the entire bush radically to about ten to fifteen centimeters above the ground. Don’t worry, she will mature very quickly and grow to her full height.
- Wintering: In our gardens, it is fully frost-resistant, only for young plants you can add a little sedge to the roots in the first year, but otherwise it can handle itself.
It looks fantastic in the company of roses, ornamental grasses or next to classic sage and echinacea. It’s a great filler element that will add height to the bed and that light informal elegance that suits the garden better than tight rows of annuals.
