How we love Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace' also known as Russian Sage. The flowers are a puffball of hazy blue from midsummer through mid-fall, the foliage is lacy, silvery, and strongly fragrant. And the growin' is easy.
You might think this perennial is a shrub, with its woody stems and billowy upright growth. It certainly takes off fast and lives a long, long time in the sunny garden, standing up to rough conditions effortlessly. All it asks is a late-winter pruning right down to the ground. Then new growth begins in spring, more dense and beautiful than before.
The flowers are simply a joy, adding hard-to-find blue tones to the garden and staying fresh and pretty for months. They are held above the foliage, and may become a frequent visiting place for hummingbirds. From a distance, a fully blooming 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage looks like a giant cloud of hazy color. Magnificent!
And the foliage plays an important role in the beauty and well-being of this perennial. Lacy, finely-cut, and silvery white, it is strongly fragrant. This is important not only from an ornamental standpoint (the branches make fantastic additions to fresh bouquets), but also as a pest repellent. Deer, rabbits, and smaller pests avoid 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage because of its scentwhich makes it a great "guard" plant around your garden treasures that pests do like to visit. Roses are Russian sage's classic companion, but consider dotting it throughout the sunny border to keep the nibblers away.
Just 28 to 32 inches high and little more than 36 inches wide, 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage has a huge impact for the space it occupies. Create a ribbon of color and scent in the foundation or line the hot asphalt driveway with its heat-tolerant presence. It makes a terrific street planting, since drought and poor soil are no issue. And it loves salt spray, making it the perfect choice for coastal gardens.
You will love 'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage wherever you decide to locate it in your landscape. From a solitary planting to a mass display of gorgeous blue, it is an easy-care, dependable, beautiful choice.
