Reference specimenAccession  SKU-01284

Salvia guaranitica "Black and Blue"

Anise-Scented Sage

At a glance
Type
Perennial
Hardiness
USDA Zones 7–10
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade
Soil
Moist, Well-drained
Mature size
Height 4–6 Feet · Spread 4–6 Feet
Growth rate
Fast
Seasonality
Dies back, depends on zone
Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' deep cobalt flowers in near-black calyces
Salvia guaranitica "Black and Blue", Anise-Scented Sage at Woodlanders
A plant Woodlanders once offered on our catalogue

This variety is no actively in production in our propagation house and may not return to our catalogue. We maintain this page purely for reference and archival purposes. If you would like to grow this plant, tell us. Your interest helps guide what we bring back.

For a larger installation or commercial project, write hello@woodlanders.net.

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' is a big, vigorous perennial sage grown for one of the truest blues in the garden, a deep gentian to cobalt held in near-black calyces that give the selection its name. Through the warm months, tall spikes rise above soft, hairy, deep green leaves and open in a long, generous run, and few hardy perennials offer a blue this saturated for so long a season.

The species is a South American plant, native to Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina, where the anise-scented sage grows tall and lush in warmth, and 'Black and Blue' keeps every bit of that vigor, often reaching six feet in a single season. The foliage carries a faint anise scent when brushed, and the tubular flowers are built for hummingbirds, which work the spikes tirelessly from summer into fall alongside bees and butterflies.

Vigorous is the word to keep in mind. In warm gardens the plant spreads by fleshy tuberous roots into a broad colony, so give room or a contained bed, and the sheer size means a spot at the back of a border or against a fence suits best. In zone 7 the top dies back in winter and returns from the root in spring; in colder gardens the plant makes a fast, spectacular annual.

Site Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' in full sun to part shade in good, moisture-retentive garden soil, at the back of a large border, in a pollinator planting, or in a big container, and pair with warm-season grasses, cannas, and other bold late-summer perennials. Water through dry spells, cut the old growth down in late winter, and enjoy a hummingbird plant that carries true blue from midsummer to frost.

Design Notes

Give Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' room and a place where the height works, at the back of a large border, against a fence, in a bold pollinator planting, or in a big container. The plant spreads by tuberous roots into a broad colony in warm gardens, so allow space or use a contained bed, and set the tall blue spikes where the hummingbird traffic can be watched from summer into fall. Pair with warm-season grasses, cannas, and other big late-summer perennials, and let the true cobalt play against yellows, oranges, and silver foliage. In zone 7 the plant dies back and returns from the root; farther north it makes a fast, spectacular annual.

Flower, Fruit & Foliage

Deep cobalt-blue tubular flowers held in near-black calyces on tall spikes, from midsummer into fall; a hummingbird favorite.

Flower. Deep gentian to cobalt-blue, tubular, two-lipped flowers set in striking near-black calyces, borne on tall spikes in a long run from midsummer into fall. Built for hummingbirds, and worked also by bees and butterflies.

Foliage. Soft, hairy, deep green, heart-shaped leaves that give off a faint anise scent when brushed, on tall, upright stems.

Habit. A large, vigorous perennial to six feet in a season, spreading by fleshy tuberous roots into a broad clump in warm gardens.

Care

Light. Full sun to part shade; a little afternoon shade is welcome in the hottest gardens.

Soil. Good, moisture-retentive garden soil that drains well; richer and moister ground than most sages ask for.

Water. Water regularly for the fullest growth and bloom; the plant likes steady moisture more than dry ground.

Pruning. Cut the old growth to the ground in late winter. Where the colony spreads too far by its tubers, lift and divide in spring.

Hardiness. USDA Zones 7 to 10, returning from tuberous roots; grown as a fast annual farther north.