Perovskia 'Blue Spire'
Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ has the most wonderful silver stems which really shine out on a winter’s day; the picture above shows it with the stem of the silver birch rising out of a group of them on our Winter Walk at Harlow Carr. They are very hardy and withstand any weather that you’d care to throw at them.
Vital statistics
- Common name
- Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Height & spread
- Up to 1.2m by 1m (4ft by 3ft)
- Form
- Deciduous subshrub
- Soil
- Well-drained, poor to moderately fertile soil
- Aspect
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Hardy throughout the British Isles
Perovskia
This is a genus of seven species of deciduous subshrubs from rocky areas in Central Asia to the Himalaya. They make great garden plants because of their flowers and leaves, which are finely cut and deeply divided, grey-green and aromatic.
They look good throughout both summer and winter. In late summer and early autumn small, tubular,two-lipped blue flowers bloom at the tops of the stems in terminal panicles, making it look like a large, slightly branched lavender.
Perovskia is named after V A Perovksi, a 19th century Russian general.
Perovskia 'Blue Spire'
This upright subshrub has grey-white stems with very deeply divided silver-grey leaves that grow up to 5cm long. In late summer and early autumn it produces violet-blue, tubular flowers in panicles up to 30cm long.
At Harlow Carr the plant only grows to about 30cm tall, and is compact and tidy. It looks great in mixed and herbaceous plantings, and, as well as adding summer and autumn beauty, shines out over winter with its wonderful silver stems.
Cultivation
- Grow in well-drained, poor to moderately fertile soil in full sun.
- They tolerate dry, chalky soil and coastal conditions.
- Prune in early spring, cutting back flowered stems close to the base.
- Generally free from pests and disease.
Propagation
- Root softwood cuttings in late spring, or semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
AGM
The RHS Woody Plant Committee awarded Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ an Award of Garden Merit with the following description:
"Erect small deciduous subshrub with white stems bearing deeply-divided, aromatic greyish leaves. Small violet-blue flowers in large plumy panicles."