Question: How can I maintain my Russian Sage plants in an upright position? I love the plants, but they have a tendency to flop over and lay on top of the other perennials in my garden. If I cut the flopped-over branches, I lose the colorful flowers. Do you have any idea of what I can do to keep the branches more upright?
Answer: Russian sage ( Perovskia atriplicifolia) is a wonderful, drought-tolerant perennial. Its silvery stems are graced with blue-green, feathery leaves and topped with spires of blue flowers that cover the entire plant with a blue haze for many weeks each summer.
This member of the mint family is not used as a culinary herb, but the foliage does have a sage-like aroma when crushed.
Russian sage is a woody perennial that’s fully hardy here in Pennsylvania. It thrives in well-drained soil and full sun. By its nature, it is a very floppy plant, prone to tumbling over other perennials. I enjoy the loose form of this plant, preferring to give it a lot of space in the garden by keeping it a 3 or 4 feet away from other plants. That being said, there are a few things you can do to limit its relaxed habit.
Full sun is a must for this perennial. If it is in partial shade, the stems will grow more leggy as they reach for sunlight.
Do not provide this plant with any fertilizer beyond an annual top-dressing of compost. Over-fertilization (particularly of nitrogen) leads to weak, overgrown stems that are unable to support themselves and stand upright. You might consider staking the plant early in the spring with some bamboo stakes and twine.
Pinching helps limit the growth. In late May, remove the terminal portion of each stem by using your thumb and forefinger to pinch off an inch or so of growth. This will cause each stem to branch out and remain more compact. It will, however, delay the flowering by a few weeks.
One more thing to consider: there are a handful of Russian sage cultivars that were bred for a more upright growth habit. “Blue Spire� reaches 3 feet tall and produces stems that reach for the sky rather than their neighbors; “Little Spire� has a similar habit but grows only to 2 feet; and “Longin� is a beautiful, very rigid selection with loads of feathery-blue flowers that grow on 3- to 4-foot-tall plants.
Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners� at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including “Grow Organic� and “Good Bug, Bad Bug.� Her website is www.jessicawalliser.com. Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 503 Martindale St., 3rd Floor, D.L. Clark Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.
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