Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Russian Sage
Russian sage is a tough, aromatic shrub with silvery stems and hazy lavender-blue flower spikes from midsummer into fall. It grows 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide, loves full sun, and needs little water once established. Bees and butterflies love it, and rabbits and deer usually leave it alone.
Best for: summer and fall color in hot, sunny beds, pollinator gardens, and yards where rabbits and deer eat everything else. A tough, low-water shrub that blooms for weeks on new growth each year.
Flower spikes open in midsummer and keep going for about 10 to 12 weeks into fall, when many shrubs have stopped. Plant it in full sun, where it stays upright and blooms best. It grows 3 to 5 feet tall and about as wide.
Bees and butterflies crowd the flowers, and hummingbirds visit too. Plant a group about 3 to 4 feet apart for a mass planting.
The fragrant silver leaves are bitter, so rabbits and deer usually leave it alone. That makes it a good pick for open, unfenced yards where other flowers get eaten.
In shade it grows weak and floppy, so give it full sun. Soggy, poorly drained soil rots the roots.
- Tight mass planting3 ft apart
- Looser mass planting4 ft apart
Water every few days at first, then stretch the time between waterings. Keep it on regular water through its first growing season so the roots go deep.
Give it full sun and soil that drains. Once rooted it needs little water and handles drought well. Give deep soaks and let the soil dry between them. Water less often in winter.
It blooms on new growth. Cut it back hard, to about a foot, in late winter before new growth starts.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
When should I cut back Russian sage in Phoenix?
Cut it back in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts. Take it down to about a foot. It blooms on new growth, so this cut sets up the summer flowers.
How often should I water Russian sage?
Water every few days at first, then keep it on regular water through its first season. Once rooted, give it infrequent deep soaks in the warm months and let the soil dry between waterings. Water little or not at all in winter.
Why is my Russian sage floppy?
Not enough sun is the usual cause. Shade makes it weak and floppy, while full sun keeps it upright, so move it or plant new ones in full sun.
When does Russian sage bloom?
It blooms from midsummer into fall, for about 10 to 12 weeks. Cutting it back each spring keeps the new flowering stems coming.
Do rabbits eat Russian sage?
They usually leave it alone. Its pungent, bitter leaves keep rabbits and deer away, so it works in unfenced yards.
Does Russian sage attract bees?
Yes. Bees and butterflies love it, and hummingbirds visit too.
How big does Russian sage get?
It grows about 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. For a mass planting, set plants about 3 to 4 feet apart.
Is Russian sage cold hardy in Arizona?
Yes, it is rated to about -20°F, so cold is not a concern in the Valley or most of Arizona. It goes bare and woody in winter until you cut it back.
What soil does Russian sage need?
It needs soil that drains. Sandy, rocky and native desert soil all work, and clay works only where water drains away. Plant it with the native soil you dug out and skip amendments.
Russian Sage for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Russian sage brings silver foliage and lavender-blue flower spikes to hot, sunny Valley beds on little water. It grows 3 to 5 feet tall, blooms from midsummer into fall and shrugs off rabbits and cold. Below are the questions people ask most, from watering and cutting back to spacing and why it flops.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
When to cut back Russian sage in Phoenix
Cut it back to 6 to 12 inches in February or March as new buds appear. Leave the old stems on through winter. It blooms on the new growth that follows.
Watering Russian sage in Phoenix
Established plants need a deep soak every 7 to 10 days in summer and much less in winter. Let the soil dry between waterings, since soggy soil rots the roots.
When does Russian sage bloom?
Lavender-blue spikes bloom from midsummer into fall, lasting about 10 to 12 weeks. Full sun gives the most flowers.
Rabbit-resistant plants for Arizona
Russian sage has bitter, aromatic leaves that rabbits and deer usually leave alone.
Russian sage and pollinators
Bees and butterflies crowd the flowers, and hummingbirds stop by too. For a mass planting, set plants 3 to 4 feet apart.
Why does Russian sage flop over?
Too little sun is the usual reason. Plant it in full sun to keep the stems upright, and cut it back hard each spring.
How far apart do you plant Russian sage?
For a mass planting, set plants about 3 to 4 feet apart center to center. Each plant grows about 3 to 5 feet wide, so they knit together into one drift.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.