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Salvia
Salvia and summer go together like lemonade and hot weather. When the weather warms up, salvias shine. 
Mealycup sage, a type of salvia, is widely grown as an annual in containers and beds. Its deep, violet-blue or white flowers bloom on tall spikes from midsummer to frost. The pale green leaves and hairy, white stems add ornamental value. Clip spent flowers to maintain continuous bloom.
Silver sage is a Plant Selecté plant. Its large, elephant ear leaves are striking because of a covering of long, silky, white hairs. It grows best in drier soils and will not prosper if soils are too wet. In early summer, two-foot-tall, candelabra-like flower stems bear white, helmet-shaped
flowers. Silver sage is hardy to USDA zone 4.
'May Night' is a perennial salvia that earned a Perennial Plant of the Year award for its long-blooming, indigo-blue flowers. Another worthy perennial sage is Clary sage with pink to cream or blue flowers, but it readily self-sows. Both are hardy to USDA zone 5.
For more information, see the following Colorado State Extension fact sheet(s).
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Updated Friday, April 19, 2013
