| Description | 'Crazy Blue' (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is a loose airy sub-shrub with gray foliage and lavender-blue flowers. Crazy Blue Russian Sage has blueish flowers along with a compact growth habit. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (per-OFF-skee-uh) |
| Plant Type | Perennials Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | 5 |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average, can't tolerate wet soils especially in the winter, this is sure death |
| Temperature | top parts of the plants are killed with light frosts |
| Flowers | tubular blueish, borne in terminal racemes or panicles, airy |
| Leaves | fragrant when crushed (especially when I prune the plants), whitish gray in color |
| Stems | square stems typical of the Lamiaceae family |
| Dimensions | 16-18 by 14-16 inches (HS), compact growth habit |
| Maintenance | best not to cut flush with the ground, I like to leave 6 or more inches of stem, this is where the new buds will form for the next growing season, also I will periodically prune back some of the branches to help prevent the "Perovskia Flop" which is common to this group |
| Propagation | PP25,639, cuttings |
| Native Site | Russian Sage is not native to Russia but is found in Afghanistan & western Pakistan. |
| Cultivar Origin | Darwin Perennials |
| Misc Facts | The genus is named for VA Perovskia a Russian general. AKA: Russian Sage |
| Author's Notes | I really like to use this perennial for the whitish gray foliage and flower color. The lose ariness of the plants allows for plants to grow up and through the plant. At a Perennial Plant Association convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA, I saw Perovskia inter planted with Echinacea, a combination I still use today. When the Magnolia start dropping their petals (really tepals) I call this "Magnolia Snow". When the Perovskia start dropping their petals the area around the plant is littered with bluish petals or "Perovskia Snow". |
| Notes & Reference | #79-Perennials For Every Purpose (Larry Hodgson), #144-Missouri Botanical Gardens web site (www.missouribotanicalgarden.org) |
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