Salvia ‘African Skies’
Salvia ‘African Skies’ is a striking, long-flowering perennial known for its soft sky-blue blooms and aromatic foliage. A hybrid of Salvia greggii and Salvia guaranitica, it combines elegance with resilience, flowering prolifically from summer well into autumn. Its tall, airy habit and pastel flower spikes are perfect for sunny borders, wildlife gardens, and cottage-style planting schemes.
Loved by bees and butterflies, this graceful salvia brings movement, colour, and fragrance to the garden with very little fuss.
Key Features
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Botanical name: Salvia ‘African Skies’
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Common name: African Skies sage
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Plant type: Half-hardy herbaceous perennial
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Height: 1.8m (6ft)
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Spread: 0.75m (2.5ft)
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Flowering: Blooms appear in July and last right through to the first frosts in September timer
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Ideal for sunny borders, gravel gardens, and pollinator planting
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Hardy: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -5 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H3)
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Requires light pruning: Cut back in late autumn
Growth & Habit
Salvia ‘African Skies’ forms an upright, bushy clump with tall flower spikes rising above neatly mounded foliage. The flowers appear over a long season, from early summer to the first frosts, and are carried in whorls on slender stems that move beautifully in the breeze. The foliage has a pleasant scent when touched, adding to the sensory experience in the garden.
Planting Advice
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Position: Full sun is essential for best flowering. Choose a sheltered spot to protect from cold winds.
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Potted: grown in pots can be planted at any time of the year providing the ground is not frozen or waterlogged
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Soil: Prefers well-drained soil, including sandy or light loam. Avoid waterlogged or heavy clay soils.
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Planting Depth: Plant at the same depth as it was in its pot. Water well after planting.
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Spacing: Allow 60–90 cm between plants to allow room for airflow and mature growth.
Plant in spring after the last frosts, or in early autumn in warmer parts of the UK to allow roots to establish.
Care & Maintenance
Once established, Salvia ‘African Skies’ is very easy to care for. It is drought tolerant and copes well in dry, sunny conditions. Feed with a general-purpose fertiliser in spring, and mulch lightly to conserve moisture.
In colder parts of the UK, consider mulching around the base of the plant in late autumn to protect the crown from frost. Container-grown plants can be moved to a sheltered area over winter.
Uses in the Garden
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Ideal for sunny mixed borders and herbaceous planting
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Excellent in gravel or Mediterranean-style gardens
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Pairs beautifully with ornamental grasses, echinacea, rudbeckia, and agastache
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Works well in large containers in warm, sheltered spots
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Attracts bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects
With its sky-blue flowers, aromatic foliage, and generous flowering period, Salvia ‘African Skies’ is an excellent choice for gardeners wanting long-lasting colour with minimal maintenance. Its graceful form and ability to attract pollinators make it a standout in any sunny planting scheme, and a reliable performer from summer to frost. A brilliant addition to wildlife-friendly and drought-tolerant gardens alike.
Buying Perennials from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we lightly trim back our perennials after flowering and trim them back at the end of the season to ensure that the plants remain neat and tidy whilst in the pot. The more tender the plant the less we cut back to help protect exposed stems from winter frost. Depending on the plant variety we will then prune back further in spring once the risk of the more severe frosts is over.
As a result, depending on the time of year you buy perennials, they may not look like images showing their ‘prime time’ in flower and looking at their best.
From late autumn onwards and dependent on variety, there may be very little visible above the soil except for a few cut back dormant leaves or stems. It is perfectly normal for dormant plants to look like this from autumn onwards, they will however burst back into life in spring.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
Perennials are described and classified differently by different gardeners but all would agree that they are plants that come into flower every year from early spring to late summer, the exact time dependent on variety and most die back to ground level in autumn and winter.
As for all plants, soil preparation is time well spent. Dig over the area to be planted ensuring that the ground is free draining. If not then you may wish to either consider planting in a different spot or raising the level of the planting area by adding additional topsoil, well rotted garden compost and/or well rotted manure. Add ‘Fish, Blood and Bone’ fertiliser or a high potash fertiliser to encourage good root growth and development.
It’s always a good idea to plant a few of the same plant together, we recommend planting in 3’s or 5’s to provide a bold effect but allowing them plenty of room to develop.
Always check eventual plant heights when planning borders to ensure that the taller plants are at the back (or at the centre of an island bed) followed by the medium and then smaller low growing plants.
Remember to deadhead perennials after flowering, trim back lightly in autumn as required to tidy the border and if necessary trim again in spring once the risk of heavy frost has passed.
If perennials get too big, start to flower less and less or if it seems to be dying off from the centre, consider dividing the plant but always check that the particular variety is happy to be divided and that you divide at the right time of year for the plant.
By using this simple guide and a little time, perennials can make an absolutely spectacular difference to your garden.
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£6.99 | ||
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£9.99 |