Is Perennial Salvia deer resistant?
Salvia nemorosa
About Perennial Salvia
Mint family, aromatic, and reliably left alone. It is the workhorse of a deer-resistant border because it flowers for months rather than weeks. The key to that long season is cutting it back hard after the first flush fades, right down to the low basal foliage rather than just snipping the spent spikes. It looks brutal for a fortnight and then reblooms properly. Deadheading lightly gives a thin second showing; shearing gives a real one. It wants sun and drainage and nothing else. In damp or shaded ground it opens out from the middle and flops onto its neighbours, which is usually diagnosed as needing staking when it actually needs a drier, sunnier spot.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Fertility
- Low
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- High
- Salt
- Moderate
- Pollinators
- High
- Containers
What to plant it with
- Catmint
Both Lamiaceae, same conditions, overlapping bloom. Shear both after the first flush for a second season.
Similar to Perennial Salvia
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Where Perennial Salvia grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Perennial Salvia belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Perennial Salvia
- Is Perennial Salvia deer resistant?
- Perennial Salvia (Salvia nemorosa) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Perennial Salvia grow in?
- Perennial Salvia is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Perennial Salvia grow in shade?
- No. Perennial Salvia wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Perennial Salvia get?
- Mature height is roughly 18–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- When does Perennial Salvia bloom?
- Perennial Salvia flowers from May–September.