Salvia 'May Night'

Salvia 'May Night': Indigo Spikes That Make Pastels Pop

'May Night' is the friend who swears it's only staying out for one drink, then closes the bar. Deep indigo spikes, full sun, and a guest list of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. CLOSING TIME IS A MYTH.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Salvia × sylvestris 'Mainacht'
• Common Name: Meadow Sage
• Height: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Deep indigo-violet, on dense upright spikes
• Bloom Time: Late spring to midsummer (June to July), with rebloom when deadheaded
• Foliage: Green, aromatic, forming a rounded clump
• Features: Perennial Plant of the Year 1997, RHS Award of Garden Merit, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it in the front to middle of a sunny border, in drifts along a walkway or as a repeating thread of dark colour through a pollinator planting.

Companion Plants: Give 'May Night' a sunny, dry bed with white daisies in front and taller blue and white behind. Leucanthemum 'Sugar Bowl' edges the bed with white daisies at 20 to 25 cm from May to August, crisp against the indigo spikes. Echinacea SunMagic® Vintage White adds white coneflowers at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. Perovskia 'Prime Time' brings blue-lavender spires at 75 to 90 cm from July to September, picking up after the salvia's first flush. Festuca Beyond Blue™ adds intense blue tufts at 23 to 30 cm between the clumps.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. It tolerates heat and dry spells once established, but blooms best with an occasional deep watering in drought. Avoid spots that stay wet in winter, especially in heavy clay. When the first flowers fade, cut the spikes back to the leafy base to get a second round. Cut the plant down in late fall or early spring. Divide clumps in early spring every few years, before new growth starts. Divisions can be slow to re-establish, so keep them watered through their first summer.

History: 'Mainacht', German for “May Night,” was introduced in Germany in 1956 as a hybrid of woodland sage (Salvia nemorosa) and meadow clary (Salvia pratensis). It was popular in Europe for decades before North American nurseries caught on, and was named Perennial Plant of the Year for 1997.

Final Thoughts: The deer take one sniff and walk away. Shear it after the first show and it comes back for round two. PLANT IT AND LET THE NIGHT SHIFT BEGIN.