Blue Sage

This clump-forming perennial grows 3–5 feet tall and produces spikes of bright azure-blue, two-lipped flowers from mid-summer into fall above narrow, gray-green foliage. Native across much of the central and southeastern U.S., with Salvia azurea var. grandiflora typically offering larger flowers and strong garden performance, it attracts long-tongued bees while also serving as a host plant for the hermit sphinx moth. Well-suited to dry, sunny sites, it provides a striking late-season display—especially alongside goldenrods—and can be pinched back to control height and encourage extended blooming into early fall.