Ornamental Sage Royal Bumble

An exceptionally long-flowering ornamental sage, Salvia Royal Bumble is a small to medium-sized, shrubby perennial, evergreen if not cut back by frost. It has a compact, bushy habit, making it good for the smaller garden, and the glossy, aromatic leaves are deep green, a lovely foil for the rich red flowers. These are carried on dark purplish-green flower-stems from late May to the first frost, and are very good for pollinators. Ornamental sage Royal Bumble is good in sheltered coastal gardens, being more salt-tolerant than most sages, and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Site: Sheltered
Soil: Any light, well-drained soil
Position: Full sun; tolerates light shade
Season of interest: Late spring to autumn
Hardiness: Fairly hardy (to -10C)
Height: 30 (75cm) Spread: 18 (45cm)

Photos by Cultivar413 and Ellie Enking, cropped,and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.