Salvia nemorosa 'Sensation Deep Blue' Improved - Garden Sage
A compact, floriferous perennial that produces masses of rich deep blue-purple flower spikes from early summer through to autumn with exceptional drought tolerance and pollinator appeal.
Key Features
- Plant Type: Hardy herbaceous perennial
- Height: 35cm
- Spread: 30cm
- Flowering Period: June to August
- Flower Colour: Rich deep blue-purple spikes
- Foliage: Aromatic mid-green textured leaves
- Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -20 to degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H6)
- Growth Habit: Compact, upright clumping form with dense branching
Overview
Salvia nemorosa 'Sensation Deep Blue Improved' is an outstanding compact cultivar that represents a significant improvement over earlier varieties in the Sensation series. This German-bred selection combines exceptional flowering performance with manageable size, making it perfect for contemporary gardens where space is at a premium. The plant produces an abundance of chunky, upright flower spikes in the most intense deep blue-purple colour, creating a spectacular display that lasts for months. With its naturally compact growth habit, excellent drought tolerance, and remarkable ability to attract beneficial pollinators, this hardworking perennial provides outstanding value whilst requiring minimal maintenance once established.
Key Features
The standout characteristic of 'Sensation Deep Blue Improved' lies in its exceptional flower production and superior colour intensity. The rich deep blue-purple flower spikes are notably more substantial and longer-lasting than standard varieties, creating a more impactful garden display. The compact, bushy growth habit naturally forms neat clumps that require no staking, whilst the aromatic mid-green foliage provides excellent textural contrast throughout the growing season. This improved selection offers enhanced weather resistance and better repeat flowering performance, making it significantly more reliable than earlier cultivars in challenging conditions.
Growth Characteristics
This refined perennial displays a naturally compact, upright growth pattern that develops into dense, well-structured clumps. Mature plants typically reach 30-35cm in height with a similar spread, creating perfectly proportioned mounds that maintain their shape throughout the growing season. The moderate growth rate allows for easy establishment whilst the naturally self-supporting stems eliminate the need for staking. The clumping habit makes it ideal for mass plantings, border edges, and container cultivation where consistent performance and neat appearance are essential.
Flowering Performance
From early June through to September, 'Sensation Deep Blue Improved' produces an exceptional display of rich deep blue-purple flowers arranged in dense, upright spikes. The individual flowers are tubular and appear in whorls along the stems, creating the characteristic sage flower formation that is highly attractive to pollinators. The extended flowering period is enhanced by the plant's excellent repeat flowering ability when spent blooms are regularly removed. This remarkable flowering endurance, combined with the intense colour saturation, makes it invaluable for providing consistent garden colour throughout the summer months.
Growing Conditions
This adaptable perennial thrives in well-drained soil of average fertility, performing best in full sun positions where it will produce the most abundant flowering display. It demonstrates excellent tolerance of poor, dry soils and actually prefers slightly drier conditions once established, making it ideal for xeriscaping and low-water gardens. The plant adapts well to various soil pH levels and shows good tolerance of urban pollution and challenging growing conditions. Whilst it prefers full sun, it will tolerate light shade, though this may reduce flowering intensity and increase the likelihood of floppy growth.
Care and Maintenance
This exceptionally low-maintenance perennial requires minimal care once established, making it perfect for busy gardeners and naturalistic plantings. Water regularly during establishment, but avoid overwatering as mature plants prefer drier conditions and can suffer from root rot in waterlogged soils. No regular feeding is required as salvias perform best on moderately fertile rather than rich soils. Deadheading spent flower spikes encourages repeat flowering and maintains plant appearance, whilst cutting back to basal foliage after the first hard frost prepares the plant for winter dormancy.
Garden Applications
'Sensation Deep Blue Improved' excels in numerous garden roles, demonstrating exceptional versatility in contemporary garden design. In mixed borders, it provides excellent mid-height structure and continuous colour, creating reliable backbone planting for seasonal displays. The compact size makes it perfect for front-of-border positions, edging, and small garden spaces where larger perennials would be inappropriate. Its drought tolerance and neat habit make it ideal for gravel gardens, Mediterranean-style plantings, and low-maintenance landscapes where consistent performance is essential.
Container Growing
This cultivar is exceptionally well-suited to container cultivation, making it perfect for patios, balconies, and formal arrangements. The compact, upright habit provides excellent structure in pot displays, whilst the extended flowering period adds vibrant colour throughout the growing season. Container-grown specimens require regular watering during active growth but benefit from good drainage and should not be overwatered, particularly during winter months when plants are dormant.
Seasonal Interest
Throughout late spring, the plant emerges from winter dormancy with fresh aromatic foliage that quickly develops into neat, compact clumps. Early summer brings the first flush of spectacular deep blue-purple flower spikes that create immediate garden impact. The peak flowering display continues through summer with regular deadheading encouraging successive waves of blooms. Autumn extends the flowering season as cooler temperatures often trigger renewed flowering activity, whilst the aromatic foliage provides continued interest until the first hard frost.
Pest and Disease Resistance
Generally robust and trouble-free, 'Sensation Deep Blue Improved' demonstrates excellent natural resistance to common garden pests and diseases. The plant's aromatic foliage naturally deters many garden pests, whilst its preference for well-drained conditions helps prevent fungal issues. The cultivar shows good resistance to powdery mildew and other common sage problems, contributing to its reputation as a reliable, low-maintenance garden performer.
Wildlife Value
The abundant, long-lasting flowers provide an exceptional nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators throughout the extended flowering season. The tubular flower shape is particularly attractive to long-tongued bees and hummingbirds, whilst the extended blooming period ensures a reliable food source during critical periods for pollinator populations. The aromatic foliage also provides natural pest deterrent properties, helping to protect neighbouring plants from common garden pests.
Companion Planting
The rich deep blue-purple flowers create stunning combinations with complementary colours including yellows, oranges, whites, and soft pinks. The neutral mid-green foliage provides excellent backdrop for these vibrant blooms and works particularly well with ornamental grasses, Mediterranean herbs, and other drought-tolerant perennials. This versatile plant pairs beautifully with Achillea, Rudbeckia, Nepeta, and Lavandula, creating cohesive plantings that thrive in similar conditions.
Why Choose 'Sensation Deep Blue Improved'?
Salvia nemorosa 'Sensation Deep Blue Improved' represents the pinnacle of compact garden sage breeding, offering exceptional flowering performance in a perfectly proportioned package. The intense deep blue-purple colour and improved flower quality provide unmatched garden impact, whilst the compact, self-supporting growth habit makes it suitable for gardens of all sizes. Combined with outstanding drought tolerance, excellent pollinator appeal, and virtually maintenance-free reliability, this exceptional cultivar delivers maximum colour with minimum effort. Whether used for border plantings, container displays, or wildlife gardens, 'Sensation Deep Blue Improved' offers gardeners a truly superior performer that will enhance any garden with its spectacular flowers and dependable nature.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
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.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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