Perovskia LACEY BLUE 'Lisslitt'

Perovskia is a very hardy plant originally found in Central Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan) but is successfully grown even further north. It can also be seen in some elevated parts of Tibet and some regions of Siberia. That is probably why it is most commonly called Russian sage or Russian lavender.

LACEY BLUE perovskia is a fantastic plant offering an extremely long time of attractivity. It bears profusion of deep indigo-blue flowers that open up from hairy, violet buds. These buds appear from early summer and take quite some time before they let the flowers out which usually happens from mid August. Thus the plant keeps its fluffy violet appearance for as long as nearly 3 months.

Deciduous leaves are finely dissected, 4-6 cm long, silvery grey when they emerge, turning pale green in summer. The stalks are the most vibrant silver shade ever seen on perovskias so far. The plant is very compact and profusely flowering. Its height can be around 1m, half of which are abundantly branched stems with flowers. Perovskia does resemble lavender but offers a much longer flowering time and is able to survive lower temperatures in winter. This makes it a great choice for any garden from the south up well north and can even be grown as a pot plant outdoors all year round.

Grow it in full sun in reasonably drained soil. After making an extensive root system it is quite draught tolerant. Cut back to about one third or one fourth of last year's growth every spring to keep the base strong and to make it produce more flowering stems. Fully hardy to -30°C, allegedly it can take -34°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 15-08-2012