This icon indicates that the plant you are considering is reliably easy to grow if you meet its limited needs.
The plants that we identify as easy are particularly adaptable to a broad range of growing conditions. Perhaps you live in a region where temperatures swing from from frigid winters to scorching summers. We have no-fuss Salvias and companion plants to meet your climate.
Possibly, the moisture level in your area can only be described as "not!" Or maybe you live where summers are predictably dry and winters are wet, or vice versa. We have undemanding beauties for you.
Whether you are looking for plants that can handle exposure from full sun to partial shade or that adjust from weak to rich soils, our no-fuss Salvias and companion plants are ready to perform reliably.
For more information about easy-to-grow Salvias and companion plants, please email or call us at Flowers by the Sea. We are glad to answer your questions.
(Russell’s Whorled Sage) Although similar in appearance to Salvia verticillata, which is commonly called Lilac Sage, Salvia russellii has whorls of smaller, purplish-blue flowers supported by deep purple calyxes. It's foliage also differs from that of Lilac Sage, which has elongated heart-shaped leaves with ruffled margins. Instead, it features fuzzy, minty green leaves that are oblong and pebbly.
Both sages are from Eurasia, with Salvia russellii being native to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. It’s adaptable to a variety of soils and can be found growing wild in desert lands as well as in fallow and cultivated fields, Oak meadows, and rocky slopes. Patrick Russell (1727-1805), a Scottish naturalist and medical doctor, discovered it in Aleppo, Syria, near the end of the 18th century.
This lovely sage grows well in full sun to partial shade. Although it tolerates both heat and drought, Salvia russellii prefers average watering based on local rainfall.