Crazy Blue Russian sage puts up upright, silvery-grey stems carrying a haze of small blue flowers through late summer, over aromatic grey foliage. It stays compact and holds its shape rather than splaying open, which is the reason to pick this selection over the common types.

Give it full sun and lean, well-drained soil, since wet clay will rot it faster than summer heat ever could. Once established it handles drought and deer without complaint. Cut it back to a few inches in late winter, and use it at the back of the border or among warm-season grasses.