Salvia verticillata

RHS Plant Profile
whorled clary

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whorled clary RHS
whorled clary RHS

Other common names

whorled blue sage

Plants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial
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A bushy upright perennial with dark green, lyre-shaped leaves and slender spikes of small, violet-blue flowers in summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or South–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Lamiaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Genus
Salvia can be annuals, biennials, herbaceous or evergreen perennials, or shrubs. They have paired, simple or pinnately lobed, often aromatic leaves and 2-lipped flowers in whorls, forming simple or branched spikes or racemes
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
Europe to Russia

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained soil and full sun with shelter from cold, drying winds

Propagation

Propagate by seed in spring. Take basal stem cuttings in late spring; stem-tip cuttings in late summer or in early autumn and propagate by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Coastal
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Gravel garden
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Cut back faded flower spikes to prolong flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs and snails, aphids, capsid bug, leafhoppers and rosemary beetle may damage young growth

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), powdery mildews, verticillium wilt and foot and root rots