Blue Jean Baby Russian Sage Pruning

The argument for pruning is that the plant will grow to be bushier as a result of this care.

Blue jean baby russian sage pruning. Blue jean baby russian sage pp 29281 is a compact selection of russian sage that gives you beautiful lavender blue spires of late summer color with a more manageable size in the landscape. Thrives in average to lean fast draining soil. Gray green foliage has a piney sage like scent and contrasts perfectly with those pollinator attracting blooms and it s highly deer resistant. Cut the woody plant stems down to about 6 inches in early spring to make way for new growth.

Avoid wet poorly drained soils. The fuzzy flowers are whorled around silver gray stems forming an unusual and eye catching scene. You can also do a light pruning in early summer if you want to reduce the height and make plants look fuller. These shorter stems grow fast to fill in a border and have no problem standing straight.

With most russian sage stems can split and fall making the whole display topple over but this variety doesn t even have that problem. Once established reduce frequency. Russian sage forms a purple haze in gardens starting in mid to late summer with its purple spires of bloom. In early spring fertilize and prune to within several inches above the ground to promote dense growth and heavy bloom.

The normal time to prune russian sage is early spring or mid spring depending on the strategy you adopt. Blue jean baby one of the earliest perovskia to bloom is stunning when paired with rudbeckia and echinacea. That s why we like the compact habit of blue jean baby. Blue spire russian sage tends to grow more upright than the species with stems that reach 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.

For the average gardener pruning russian sage typically occurs on the ends of the growing season near the start and finish. Perovskia blue jean baby common name russian sage thrives in the heat of summer a cloud of smoky blue perovskia in bloom is unforgettable. Water regularly in first growing season to establish root system. At the very least it s a good idea to cut off any dead branches to keep this perennial tidy.

Compact bushy mound with fragrant silver foliage. Some gardeners choose to prune russian sage annually. The straight species grows 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. Little spire russian sage is a smaller version reaching a tidy 18 to 24 inches tall and wide.

Russian sage must be planted in soil with good drainage and aeration as the plant s roots will rot if the soil is too wet. Russian sage can sometimes lodge or split its long beautiful stems toppling over instead of standing tall in the garden bed. It s not so heavy and won t flop over. For winter interest leave the seedheads and silvery stems in place until spring.

It is big in the eco friendly garden.