In plants used for sustainable gardening, it is difficult to see very spectacular blooms during the hottest months of the year such as June and August. However, in our nursery we have some species that do bloom abundantly during these months. One of them is Perovskia 'Blue Spire'.
This species, which belongs to the Lamiaceae family, is native to Afghanistan where it lives in open areas and rocky places. It is a plant with a compact habit that can reach 80/100 centimeters tall by 30/40 centimeters wide.
An aromatic plant with grayish-green foliage and whitish branches. It is one of the few deciduous species we have at Sala Graupera, so in winter it will lose all its leaves. That will be the time to prune it to achieve a compact shape and always maintain a young plant.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, it is a species that blooms during summer, with flowering extending until October. It forms long violet-blue inflorescences that, if pruned regularly, can extend flowering for 2 to 3 months.
Image of Perovskia 'Blue Spire'; Source: www.suggestkeyword.com
A plant with very low soil requirements, as it is indifferent to the type of soil where it is planted. It can live in all types of substrates from sandy to clayey, as long as drainage is good. Also tolerant of rocky soils. It particularly favors alkaline soils. It also tolerates nutrient-poor soils.
It is a species belonging to hardiness zone number 7, with an average annual minimum temperature range of -17.7 / -12.3°C, which indicates it is a plant very tolerant of severe frosts. Its mechanism for surviving winter is the loss of leaves in autumn.
It is undoubtedly a very suitable species for sustainable gardening, as its preferred location is in full sun and it is drought resistant. It only requires support watering during the 8-10 weeks after planting; once well-rooted it requires no irrigation (except those planted in pots). It is advisable to cover the soil with some type of mulch to retain soil moisture and prevent the appearance of unwanted weeds that may compete with it.
Image of Perovskia 'Blue Spire'; Source: www.wilsonnurseries.com
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Perovskia 'Blue Spire' is interesting for forming groupings of aromatic plants and in shrub beds in sustainable gardens, with low water and soil requirements and limited labor availability. As we can see, it is a very versatile plant that will surely give you very good results in your gardens.