Salvia nutans – Nodding Sage

Plant now to enjoy elegant violet-blue flowers from June to August, with the main display generally through July. RHS

Salvia nutans is a distinctive, upright perennial forming a basal rosette of coarse green foliage with tall, slender flower stems bearing unusual nodding clusters of violet-blue flowers. The stems can reach around a metre, creating a graceful, airy effect in the border.

A particularly attractive choice for cottage, gravel and wildlife gardens, it brings height and movement while its flowers provide valuable nectar for pollinating insects. Native to the steppes of Eastern Europe, it prefers sunny, well-drained conditions and becomes more drought tolerant once established.