Perennial · North Texas care guide
Salvia yangii (Perovskia)
Nursery Pro tip: Silver stems and months of blue in the worst heat. Needs full sun and lean, well-drained soil; too much water makes it flop.
A haze of lavender-blue flowers on silvery-white stems, June through September, 3–4 ft tall and airy enough to see through. Aromatic foliage deer won't touch, and it thrives on the heat and alkaline soil that defeat other perennials.
Full sun and drainage. Poor soil is ideal; rich or wet soil makes it flop. Space 3 ft apart. 'Denim 'n Lace' and other newer selections stay upright better than the old type.
Spring or fall. Plant high in clay with expanded shale in the backfill, Root Stimulator, thin mulch off the crown.
Weekly to establish, then every two or three weeks at most.
None.
Cut back hard — to 6–8 in — in late February; it blooms on new wood. Don't cut it in fall; the stems hold the crown through winter. If it splays open in midsummer, shear it by a third.
Flopping (too much water, too much shade, too much fertilizer). Root rot in wet clay. Slow to emerge in spring.
Prairie and pollinator beds with black-eyed Susan, coneflower, Gulf muhly and lantana. Silver foliage next to a dark green holly hedge is striking.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.