Blue Jean Baby is a Russian sage scaled for real gardens, blooming earlier and staying more compact and upright than the old sprawling forms. From midsummer into fall it holds a haze of smoky lavender-blue flowers on silvery stems over aromatic gray foliage, roughly 2 to 3 feet tall.

It asks for two things: full sun and drainage. Given those, it laughs at drought, heat, deer, rabbits, and lean soil, while bees and butterflies work it constantly. Leave the silvery stems standing for winter interest, then cut back to about 6 inches in early spring.