Russian Sage

• Height/Spread: 3–4' wide by 3–4' wide
• Habit/Form: Upright, spreading
• Hardiness zone: 5–9
• Exposure: Full sunlight
• Soil: Dry

Ornamental value: If you are looking for a pollinator, Russian sage is your plant. Attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, this perennial becomes covered in purplish tubular flowers right in the middle of summer. For the rest of the season, the plant's foliage develops an attractive silvery mint-green color and turns a silvery-white in winter. Homeowners love that Russian sage tolerates high temperatures and severe droughts while resisting the pesky inquiries of rabbits. It is also disease-resistant.

Russian sage varies in size—from 24 inches to 4 feet or taller. It's a great plant to fill large vacant areas or to use as a perennial border.