Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace'

This highly popular, multi-season perennial has a graceful, upright, open habit and an airy texture. An improved cultivar, the bush is compact, reaching between 2 and 3 feet tall and just a bit wider, so it won't overpower the garden like older varieties are wont to do, and the shorter, sturdier stems withstand strong winds and heavy rain.

It begins flowering in midsummer, sending up long spikes of amethyst calyxes and silvery purple-blue flowers above lacy, finely cut silver-grey foliage. The calyxes are spaced together very closely giving the flowers a full look, and from a distance, the billowy blooms look like a giant hazy cloud. The flowers remain all season, continuing well into fall, keeping the bush colorful for months. Hummingbirds visit frequently, but the aromatic foliage keep deer and pests at bay.

It is very easy to grow. The only maintenance required is a yearly trim, right down to a few inches above the ground, in late winter or earliest spring, before new growth begins, to make the branching denser and the flowering more vigorous.

A sun lover, it is a classic companion for roses, making a lovely succession as it comes into its own just as the big spring-to-summer bloom of hybrid teas and floribundas begins to wane. But with low water requirements and poor soil tolerance, it is also a great choice for xeriscapes, water-wise gardens, or any hot, dry trouble spots—fearlessly line the hot asphalt driveway or use it as a street planting. And along the coast, this perennial stands up to salt spray. Wherever it's located, from a solitary planting to a mass display, it is a dependable, long-lived, beautiful choice that graces the garden for years and years.