Salvia uliginosa

Also Known As

Blue Spike Sage
Bog Sage

Plant type

perennial

size

H: 3'-6'
W: 2'-5'

planting zones

6a-10b

More Options

Salvia uliginosa plant details

Salvia uliginosa is a broadleaf deciduous perennial with green foliage. In fall and summer blue flowers emerge. Attracts beneficial insects, butterflies and hummingbirds making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun - mostly sun and even moisture - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Adapts to various soil conditions. Does well in average, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant and humidity tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Salvia uliginosa

Plant type: perennial
Plant family: lamiaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 2 FT - 5 FT - wide, 3 FT - 6 FT - tall
Flowers: blue blooms in fall and summer
Uses: border plant, cottage garden, rock garden

GROWING CONDITIONS for Salvia uliginosa

USDA Zones: 6a - 10b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly sun
Watering frequency: even moisture - low
Resistant to: deer, heat and humidity
Soil needs: average, rich and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

3-6' tall stems topped with sky blue flowers wave in the breeze! Sun to part shade – Not fussy – Flowers all summer into fall – will spread by underground stems in moist soils, more restrained on drier sites – Hardy to 15 degress or less – Well loved, easy to grow sage!

By: Secret Garden Growers

The best blue color. Tall plant, probably 4 feet or so. Blooms from early summer till frost. Likes a very damp place in full sun.

By: Hoot Owl Hollow Nursery

Uliginosa means "of the marshes", in this case those between the forests of southern Brazil and Argentina's fertile pampas. Eye-catching white flecked azure blue flowers soar atop slender branching stems lined with narrow lance-shaped green leaves. A quick-to-establish colonizing perennial, Bog Sage presents an airy, strong and erect habit that doesn't need staking and flourishes in moist niches along streams or ponds and in ordinary garden conditions, even tolerating heavy or dry soil. For a spectacular effect, plant it alongside Anemone 'Andrea Atkinson'.

By: Digging Dog Nursery

A spreading perennial. Roughly textured, mid to dark green, finely toothed leaves, are borne in pairs on tall, erect stems, carrying dense spikes of brilliant, sky blue, hooded, tubular flowers, throughout Summer. Remove any stems that have finished flowering and cut back to ground level at the end of autumn.

By: Zephs

Uliginosa means swamp or marsh. Deciduous herbaceous perennial growing to 6' tall and spreading rapidly on underground runners. Narrow, bright green leaves are aromatic and serrated. Bright azure-blue flowers with a white throat form in branched clusters to 5" long from summer to fall. Good drainage, garden soil enriched with humus and moderate watering are recommended to keep it of manageable size in the garden. Not particular about soil. Full sun, but is better looking with some shade. Cut to ground in late winter or early spring for fresh spring growth. Found naturally in perennially wet habitats. Hardy to 20F. Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.

By: Native Sons

A tender perennial sage with open upright habit. Produces clear sky blue flowers along graceful arching stems all summer long. Likes a damp boggy soil, sun to part shade. Growing 4-5'. Hummingbirds love it.

By: Accents for Home and Garden

Allow this 1-3' wide clump-former to produce its willowy 4-5' tall stalks of sky-blue late summer flowers in an airy background mass; doesn't need staking, just enjoying! Sun/Med (not dry)/GdDrain

By: Forestfarm

This sage, unlike most varieties, likes moist conditions. Possibly hardy if carefully sited in zone 6. Sky blue flowers on long stems in mid-late summer into fall.

By: Avant Gardens

Salvia Maven Maryann Byrhe shared this unlikely beauty with us. Unlikely why you ask? Unexpectedly hardy from Argentina and Uruguay and growing in decidedly unSalvia-like heavy wet soils - even marshy. And pretty? Only if you like sky blue flowers on tall stems most of the summer.