Salvia ‘Black and Blue’

By Kathy Jentz

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is a tender perennial salvia. It has bright-green foliage and brilliant blue flowers with purple-black calyces. Digital photos don’t do it justice—it is a true-blue that is striking to see in person in the late summer to early autumn garden.

It is also known as the Anise-scented sage ‘Black and Blue’ and the Brazilian Anise Sage ‘Black and Blue’. The Latin names were previously Salvia caerulea and Salvia melanocalyx

Butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators love its tubular flowers.

The leaves are fragrant and deer do not bother it.

It grows best in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. It will flop if planted in too much shade. It grows 2 to 5 feet high and wide.

Deadhead the spent flowers to encourage additional blooms. Otherwise, it is pretty low-maintenance.

It is hardy to USDA Zones 7 through 10 and can survive here in the Mid-Atlantic if we have a mild winter, but if you think we will have a hard winter, cut it back and pot up several plant divisions in the fall for overwintering in a sunny window. o