Sage Advice for Success with Growing Russian Sage in the Garden

Russian sage is a beautiful perennial plant for the garden. It's fairly easy to grow too if you follow a few simple tips on growing it. It can be good if you need a deer resistant plant and is also amazing in full sun locations that get hot and dry.
Russian sage has two botanical names. It was Perovskia atriplicifolia for many years but recently was renamed as Salvia yangii. It grows well in zones 4-9 and needs full sun and dry conditions for success. It pairs well with many types of perennials like artemisia, achillea, coneflower, rudbeckia, salvia, and many others.
I definitely recommend planting at least three in an area to get the full effect of a mass of plants!
00:00 Intro
00:53 Deer Resistance
01:09 Location for Russian Sage
01:20 Growing Tips
01:40 A tip for Bushy Plants
02:12 Russian Sage with Native Grasses
02:57 Sourcing Russian Sage and Plant Patents
03:36 Planting Russian Sage
06:32 Another Native Grass companion plant
07:30 Overview of the garden area
08:11 Prairie Dropseed Growing Conditions
08:53 All Planted
How to Propagate Russian sage: • How to Propagate Russi...
Russian Sage info on my website:
growingthehome...

[@paulastafford1642]

I love Russian sage.

[@rnguyen2516]

Do they need to be deadheaded? Can I prune them all the way down to the wood at the bottom? I accidentally did that with lavender and killed it 😩. Thank you so much!

[@Growingthehomegarden]

They can be deadheaded after flowering. I wouldn't cut them all the way back, stay within the live growth.

[@GreenGranny]

I've heard Russian sage is extremely sensitive to overwatering. I cannot find info online about how often to water when establishing. My climate has zero summer rain and is very hot 105-115 is typical. This lasts about 5-6 months. I planted this Russian sage(patented) in the fall and it looks healthy but is not growing very fast. Not many plants can thrive in my conditions and I'm very hopeful that this one can. Any ideas?

[@Growingthehomegarden]

You may try amending the soil a little. It sounds like it may need a little supplemental watering in the summer. The key will be to let it completely dry out between watering. Just check with your finger in the soil and if it's still a little wet hold off on watering a couple days then check again. In your climate I would add some mulch to the soil surface to help keep the roots a little cooler. That should keep soil moisture higher for longer as well. It's hard to know am exact amount to water as evaporation happens depending on factors like the heat, soil types, typical rainfall amounts etc. I home that helps some!

[@cgoodloe]

I am in zone 9b california and I never water mine. The only water they get is rainwater. It spreads by underground roots. Have to keep babies pulled up.

[@GreenGranny]

@cgoodloe Are you coastal or inland? Is your ground hard and rocky this time of year? How hot do you get? Sorry to be nosy. I had a discussion with the local native plant nursery and he was having trouble with his Russian sage too. He thought we should be watering more. Perhaps 2x weekly.

[@nnekababy]

What happened to the russiand that you propagated 4 years ago? Why not prop from those? Did it die?

[@Growingthehomegarden]

Our old home didn't have enough sunny spots to support the Russian sage and they were never planted.

[@musynmedia]

Where did you online order your original Russian Sage from?

[@Growingthehomegarden]

I ordered from Santa Rosa Gardens. The plants all came in looking great.

[@aeastman59]

I didnt know that about patents and propagating... thats terrible about how they have patented varieties

[@Growingthehomegarden]

There are some good reasons for it but definitely some negatives as well.

[@chickadeeacres3864]

Don’t even get me started on “patents “ for God’s gifts from nature. My understanding is propagating plants (patented or not) for personal use and not for resale, is fine. They just don’t want you making money off “their invention” greedy folks that they are. If they want to come after me for propagating my own, they’ll have to catch me first 😉. 😂

[@Eric.Mercado]

If you spent your time (most plants take years), money, and knowledge making, developing, enhancing, renovating, etc., something, wouldn't you want and expect recognition and rights to your work? Plant patents are no different. The originals are indeed gifts from God, but these hybrids are inventions from individuals (if you don't consider these hybrids their "inventions," what do you consider them?) and rightfully belong to them, just as the originals belong to God. Wanting to ensure you get your just dues if others are going to market and make a fortune off your work is not greed. Greed wouldn't allow them to have no issue with propagation for personal use. That is a gift…from the inventors. 😉