Can You Plant Russian Sage And Lavender Together

Russian sage is a striking undiscovered cut flower that draws butterflies and bees.
Perfectly complements other low-water plants like lavender, sedum, and ornamental grasses. It also gets along well with succulents with bold leaves like big agaves and aloes.
In addition to xeriscapes, hillsides, and rock landscapes, Russian sage blends in with deer-frequented, Mediterranean-themed gardens.

Sage and lavender can they be grown together?

The fundamental characteristics of ordinary daisies, which we all know and adore, also apply to African daisies. They are more distinctive nevertheless, with vivid colour that nearly seems hand-dyed (some types are even bi-colored).

They are excellent lavender companion plants because they both thrive in similar environments and need minimal maintenance (USDA 9–11). They require full sun, drained soil, and weekly irrigation.

While lavender is out of season, this lovely flower grows all through spring, summer, and fall, keeping your landscape vibrant. With this straightforward yet beautiful companion plant for your lavender, you can’t go wrong.

Zinnia

Zinnias are a genuinely hardy annual to take into account. There is a wide variety of flower hues available in zinnias. You can be sure that they will complement your lavenders beautifully whether you choose pink, white, red, or lavender purple.

Additionally, they will flourish in addition to lavender. You can be certain that zinnias will make an excellent partner for your lavender because they don’t mind humidity or heat, love full sun, and prefer soil that is on the dry side.

Gaillardia

Another daisy-like flower that will look fantastic in your yard with lavender is the gaillardia, sometimes referred to as the blanket flower. The subtle lavender hues are given life by the burnt reds, oranges, and yellows of these blooms, producing an intriguing color spectrum in your landscape.

They enjoy full sunlight and don’t care too much about the type of soil as long as it drains correctly. Adding gaillardias to your lavender beds won’t disappoint because they bloom every year during the summer and fall.

Rosemary

Lavender and rosemary are another traditional duo. Both have roots in the Mediterranean’s rocky hillsides and thrive in warm conditions. Rosemary is one of your greatest selections if you want to expand your herb garden, which currently has established lavender.

This herb requires the same amount of sunlight and water as lavender and thrives best in Zones 9 to 11. For the benefit of the rest of your garden, both can be planted together as a pair of companion plants. While repelling rabbits and deer, rosemary and lavender also draw a variety of pollinators.

Keep in mind that rosemary is less cold-tolerant than lavender, so you might need another plant if you live in a cooler climate.

Thyme

Thyme is your best bet if you want something cold-resistant. Similar to lavender and rosemary, it is a Mediterranean native that does well in hot, sandy soil. It is less sensitive to climate than rosemary because its hardiness zones range from 5 to 9.

When the first frost occurs, the plant goes dormant, but if you can protect it, thyme can survive the winter. Thyme thrives when planted close to lavender, enjoying the full sun and the occasional watering, if winter weather is not an issue.

Their aesthetics also mesh well together. With its softer purple blossoms, thyme produces a sweet ground cover plant that would look lovely next to your lavender field.

Sage

Another herb that does well in the conditions that lavender does is sage. Sage will grow well in hot regions, sandy, well-draining soil, with little water or care, regardless of the variety.

Zones 5-11 are ideal for growing sage. Planting thyme, sage, and lavender together is a terrific idea, especially in pots or containers. This plant can be used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. And it looks great when used as a decorative border plant.

Oregano

It’s crucial to add more flavor to your life. Adding multipurpose plants and herbs to your garden is another example. Planting oregano provides you with two advantages.

This delightful herb not only pairs well with lavender but a range of other plants, in addition to being great in the cuisine. Oregano is a low-maintenance plant that works well as an edging or ground cover. Although it prefers the sun and performs well in light shade, it also does well in dry soil.

Oregano is the solution if lavender isn’t luring as many bees as you’d want. Lavender and oregano are excellent companion plants for your garden, regardless of your requirements or goals.

What other plant complements Russian sage well?

Russian Sage is a wispy plant, so it looks great planted alongside another flower that can pick up the violet-blue of its numerous flower panicles and “grow through it,” like coneflower (Echinacea spp.), globe thistle (Echinops ritro), or tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis). The tall tawny grasses maiden grass (Miscanthus spp.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), as well as the sharp vertical lines of “Karl Foerster” feather reed grass, look stunning in combination with it (Calamagrostis x acutiflora).

Consider placing Russian sage along a walkway as a “hedge,” especially in a gravel garden where its color contrasts stunningly with the camel-colored pea gravel found there. Russian sage loves to spread its long arms out in the garden, so make sure to leave enough of room for growth.

Additional Uses: Russian sage’s scented foliage and blooms have a relaxing effect on the nervous system. In traditional medicine, it is applied topically to lower fevers and is also brewed into a tea.

Russian sage has several blossoms that attract bees, and because it attracts so many pollinators in the summer, it is a wonderful addition to a pollinator-friendly landscape. Russian sage is a fantastic choice for gardeners with oceanfront properties because it tolerates salt and does well in a variety of soil types.

What should lavender not be used to grow?

Do not put these plants close to lavender:

MintMint demands more soil moisture than lavender can withstand. Mint can be extremely invasive, as anyone who has ever cultivated it can attest. Avoid!
Annuals & Perennials that Love the Shade
Coleus, Hosta, Impatiens, Fuchsia, and Camellias are examples of plants and flowers that enjoy the shadow and are probably not the greatest companion plants for lavender. Do not use shade plants!
dense bushes
Another example of what not to plant with lavender is a shrub that needs a lot of space or one that spreads widely.
Strong Growers
Another option for what to avoid planting close to lavender is definitely plants that quickly reproduce themselves. Personally, I wouldn’t put my daffodil and other spring bulbs too near together.

What must not be planted near sage?

SAGE: To ward off cabbage moths, beetles, black flea beetles, and carrot flies, grow it as a companion plant with broccoli, cauliflower, rosemary, cabbage, and carrots. Avoid planting near rue, onions, or cucumbers. Black flea beetles and cabbage moths are repelled by sage.

What plant complements sage well?

Sage is a beneficial companion plant that also keeps pests away. Sage attracts pollinators when allowed to bloom. Sage works well as a border for vegetable plots because it can develop into a bush.

1. Brassicas: Place sage in close proximity to plants in the cabbage family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and kohlrabi. Brassicas are attacked by black flea beetles, cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, cabbage maggots, and cabbage moths, all of which are repelled by sage.
Sage deters the carrot rust flies.
3. Strawberries: Sage can help ward off pests and improve the flavor of strawberries.
4. Tobacco plants benefit from sage’s ability to repel flea beetles and draw in helpful insects. Combine sage with cilantro or dill, both of which are spider mite repellent, if spider mites are your primary tomato pest. Calendula or borage can help tomatoes with tomato hornworm problems by repelling the pest without damaging the plant.
Sage is one of the few herbs that grows well with rosemary, according to 5.Rosemary. For a spicy herb garden, consider planting sage and rosemary together.

Is lavender and Russian sage the same thing?

These lovely blooms in this picture are not lavender, despite appearances. Perovskia Atriplicifolia, also referred to as Russian Sage and occasionally Lavender of Afghanistan, is the scientific name for this plant. These two plants not only share a second name with our favorite flower, but they also resemble one another and belong to the same family.

Indeed, this sage’s blossoms are a vibrant purple as well (and that’s what drew us!). Additionally, due to its long, narrow leaves, it has a similar foliage to lavender.

Sage has no use in perfumery because of its grassy and slightly spicy aroma.

Does Russian sage have a lavender-like aroma?

The blooms are actually rather little, bluish-purple in hue, and have an upper petal with four lobes and a smaller lower petal. Darker striations run from the upper petal into the tube of the blooms. A crisp white color fills the tube. On Russian sage, the calyx, a tube that shields the flowers from harm before they bloom, is frequently what seems to be the blossoms. In the case of the Russian sage, the calyx is lavender blue with color and covered in rough white hairs. These add to the overall floral show and are kept on the plant for a considerable amount of time.

Russian sage is worth cultivating for the silver-green leaves in addition to the flowers. The edges of the leaves can be serrated or wavy depending on the plant’s location, where the foliage is produced, and its variation. Rub or crush the Russian sage plant to release its strong fragrance from all sections. Some individuals say it smells like sage and occasionally includes lavender scents.

Spreading Russian sage plants?

Russian sage can be planted using a few tips that will aid in the plant’s establishment in your garden.

Place your planting first. For the Russian sage to flourish, full sun is necessary. Plants tend to flop open as stems stretch for sunlight when given a little shade. A stretch along a driveway or an area with high sun that gets as hot as the area between a sidewalk and a street are good choices. Russian sage enjoys heat and sunlight.

When planting Russian sage, keep in mind that this lovely plant dislikes two things: high humidity, and soil that remains wet all year. Select a planting location with alkaline, dry soil or ordinary, well-drained soil. Both soil types are compatible with Russian sage. Plants often become slack and floppy in overly fertile soil. Insert hoop stakes or support stems with stakes and string in this situation.

Plants mature at a height of 3 to 5 feet and a spread of 2 to 4 feet. Russian sage grows in clumps, so provide the plants some room to expand by placing them about three feet apart or three feet away from other plants in the garden.

At your preferred plant store, keep an eye out for containers of Russian sage. Russian sage can be planted any time between early spring and six weeks before the first frost, but late spring is the best time. The earth is now warm, and plants should begin to grow swiftly. If you decide to plant Russian sage later in the summer, make sure to water the soil frequently as the young plants grow.

There are numerous types of Russian sage for sale. The straight species can reach heights of 3 to 5 feet and widths of 2 to 4 feet. Russian sage known as “Little Spire” is a scaled-down kind that grows only 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. Russian sage known as “Blue Spire” has stems that may grow up to three feet tall and wide and is known to grow more uprightly than other varieties.

In the correct circumstances, Russian sage can self-sow and can also spread via rhizomes. Gardeners claim that this perennial bloom can occasionally be invasive. The National Invasive Species database does not, however, report or list it as such. Keep an eye out for spreading stems in the garden. As you find them, pull and cut them.

Does lavender have an invasive nature?

Recently, I went to a lavender farm outside Gaineville, Texas. I was addicted. However, I discovered that you need to have well-drained, alkaline soil when I started researching about growing lavender. Do you have any recommendations for the right family or variety of lavender plant I should utilize considering that the majority of the area surrounding Dallas is hard rock clay? Or am I going in the wrong direction?

ANSWER:

Although it is stunning and fragrant, lavender (Lavandula sp.) is not a native of North America, which is our specialty and area of expertise at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I can provide you with a list of native plants whose common names include the word “lavender,” but I understand that’s not what you’re searching for. Here is a link to a website regarding the cultivation of lavender from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. You should read When is a Guest a Pest? even if lavender (Lavandula sp.) is not currently listed as an invasive species. and responsibly plant any non-native species.

Where do you plant lavender?

When there are no longer any dangers of a frost, plant lavender in the spring. This lovely, fragrant herb works well in raised beds, in-ground gardens, and container planting.
In a location with lots of sunlight and sandy, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.7 to 7.3, space lavender plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
Mix a few inches of compost or other rich organic matter into your native soil to give new plants a great start to the growing season.
Lavender thrives in arid environments, so you won’t need to water it until the top 2 inches of soil are parched.
Regularly feeding your plants with water-soluble plant food can encourage brilliant blooms.
When stems are big enough to utilize, harvest them. Don’t take more than a third of the plant at once.

The shape of lavender plants is tidy and shrub-like. In a rock garden, where this lavender also thrives with orange poppies, the location is perfect for lavender since it offers good drainage.