Finally, a dependable and beautiful Russian Sage from seed! Blue Steel is compact, fragrant, and floriferous -- just the accent you need for garden and container. And if you sow these seeds early, it will even flower the first year! What a terrific alternative to pricey plants!
Blue Steel is a compact variety, so you can pop it into your favorite patio container and move it around the landscape to show it off all year. Reaching just 18 to 36 inches high and 14 to 28 inches wide, it forms a very densely branched, rounded, bushy plant, with upraised stems showing off all that lavender-blue color from midsummer through early fall. The foliage is fragrant all season, a dusty shade of sage green on silvery stems. Impressive!
Russian Sage (Perovskia) used to be called the Lavender of the South for its color, scent, and tolerance of heat and drought. Now, however, gardeners in the north have discovered how easy it is to grow, and it's so popular that we're wondering if Lavender will soon be known as the Russian Sage of the North!
And this seed variety is quite easy to grow. The seed germinates in 2 to 4 days (seriously!) when you start it at room temperature, lightly covered (or simply dropped into the Bio Sponge of your Bio Dome). It does need high humidity, so close the vents of your dome or, if you are starting it in a seed tray, place a plastic bag loosely over the entire tray until you see the sprouts. Then increase the ventilation, give it lots of light (grow lights are ideal), and as the seedlings grow, give them a pinch at the tips to increase the bushiness. They will be ready to transplant about 8 weeks after germination, but wait until the spring soil has warmed a bit and all danger of frost is past.
Blue Steel needs little attention from you, but it does appreciate a hard prune in late winter or early spring. Cut the stems right down to an inch or two above ground level; they will re-grow all the better for it. Then enjoy another season of carefree beauty from this lovely Russian Sage! Zones 4-9. Pkt is 10 seeds.
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
Finally, a dependable and beautiful Russian Sage from seed! Blue Steel is compact, fragrant, and floriferous -- just the accent you need for garden and container. And if you sow these seeds early, it will even flower the first year! What a terrific alternative to pricey plants!
Blue Steel is a compact variety, so you can pop it into your favorite patio container and move it around the landscape to show it off all year. Reaching just 18 to 36 inches high and 14 to 28 inches wide, it forms a very densely branched, rounded, bushy plant, with upraised stems showing off all that lavender-blue color from midsummer through early fall. The foliage is fragrant all season, a dusty shade of sage green on silvery stems. Impressive!
Russian Sage (Perovskia) used to be called the Lavender of the South for its color, scent, and tolerance of heat and drought. Now, however, gardeners in the north have discovered how easy it is to grow, and it's so popular that we're wondering if Lavender will soon be known as the Russian Sage of the North!
And this seed variety is quite easy to grow. The seed germinates in 2 to 4 days (seriously!) when you start it at room temperature, lightly covered (or simply dropped into the Bio Sponge of your Bio Dome). It does need high humidity, so close the vents of your dome or, if you are starting it in a seed tray, place a plastic bag loosely over the entire tray until you see the sprouts. Then increase the ventilation, give it lots of light (grow lights are ideal), and as the seedlings grow, give them a pinch at the tips to increase the bushiness. They will be ready to transplant about 8 weeks after germination, but wait until the spring soil has warmed a bit and all danger of frost is past.
Blue Steel needs little attention from you, but it does appreciate a hard prune in late winter or early spring. Cut the stems right down to an inch or two above ground level; they will re-grow all the better for it. Then enjoy another season of carefree beauty from this lovely Russian Sage! Zones 4-9. Pkt is 10 seeds.
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.