Eye-catching, with maybe the deepest and purest blue flowers in the world of plants, Salvia patens (Gentian Sage) is an erect, tuberous perennial with showy racemes of slightly nodding, 2-lipped blue flowers, 2 in. long (5 cm). Blooming from mid-summer to mid-fall, the blossoms are borne above the foliage of ovate to triangular mid-green leaves, 3 in. long (8 cm). Native to Mexico, Salvia patens is fairly pest-free and low maintenance. Add this charming and graceful perennial to the landscape, and you will be rewarded with abundant butterflies, hummingbirds, and pollinating insects.

• Tender, this plant is hardy to zones 8-10 and is generally treated as an annual in cooler areas.
• Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
• Grow up to 2-3 ft. tall (60-90 cm) and 2 ft. wide (60 cm).
• Performs best in full sun, in moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Light shade is tolerated.
• Well-suited to beds and borders, wall-side borders, city gardens, coastal gardens, or cottage gardens.
• No serious pest or disease issues. Deer resistant.
• Remove flower spikes as they fade to prolong flowering.
• Propagate by seed sown in pots or by overwintering tubers in damp potting compost. Propagate by rooting basal cuttings or softwood cuttings in spring or early summer.