Salvia uliginosa 'Blue Spike Sage' (Bog Sage)

Salvia uliginosa, also known as ‘Blue Spike Sage’ or ‘Bog Sage’ is an award-winning perennial with 5-6” long willowy stems bearing small clusters of densely packed sky-blue flowers adorned with white throats. It produces a long-blooming display of flowers from late spring to early fall. Uliginosa is native to southern Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. It won the Royal Horticulture Society’s Award of Garden Merit for its outstanding performance in England and Europe and it is sure to be a hit in your home garden as well! Its tall and slender stems give it an airy, open silhouette reaching 4-6’H and 3-4’W.

Uliginosa grows in both wet and dry soil conditions making it a resilient and versatile garden performer. It can tolerate both sun and partial shade. As its name infers, it has a preference to moist, well-drained soil, but does equally well in dry conditions. You can give it a cut back when the plant has flopped and becomes unattractive. Uliginosa is a fast-growing plant that spreads vigorously through underground rhizomes. Despite its vigorous spread, uliginosa can fill an area nicely without becoming invasive. To limit spread, give only moderate water or confine the roots by planting it in a 15-gal pot and then planting the pot in the ground to the rim.

With its large, bushy habitat of narrow lance-shaped, yellow-green leaves, uliginosa is perfect for the back of a border and makes an excellent cut flower and would be right at home in a Mediterranean or meadow garden. It attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds. It’s considered drought tolerant and is resistant to deer and rabbits.

The Sunset Western Garden Zones are: Zones 6-9, 14-24.

We are currently growing Salvia uliginosa 'Blue Spike Sage' in 1-gallon containers.