Noble Knight salvia sends up dense spikes of flowers over aromatic, sage-scented foliage, and it blooms for a long stretch through the warm months. The plant forms a tidy, upright clump that keeps its shape without much help from the gardener.

Give it full sun and soil that drains well, because standing water over winter is what finishes off salvias in our clay. Shear the spent spikes back after a flush of bloom and it will push out the next round. Hummingbirds and bees work the flowers hard, and deer generally leave salvias alone, so it suits borders, sunny edges and pollinator beds.