Announcing Salvia sylvestris 'Little Night' PPAF
by David Salman

HCG Plant of the Year 2015
Every once in a while, there comes a new perennial plant that seems to have it all. And Salvia sylvestris 'Little Night', High Country Gardens' 2015 plant of the year, is one of those rare perennials. It is suitable for planting across much of the U.S. and will quickly become a favorite in your waterwise, habitat-friendly landscape.
Why You'll Want to Plant It
The long list of desirable traits that 'Little Night' offers gardeners includes:
- A neatly compact, mature size (only 10" tall x 12-15" wide).
- A profusion of tidy, strongly vertical, dark violet-blue flower spikes.
- A long blooming habit with flowers in late spring (and again in mid-summer when deadheaded after the first flush of flowers).
- The ability to thrive in heavy clay soil and most other soil types.
- Excellent cold hardiness and heat tolerance (USDA zones 4-9).
- Is resistant to browsing rabbits and deer.
- Being long lived and exceptionally durable, it thrives in all kinds of growing conditions.
- Is great nectar source for honeybees.

Its Origins
I spotted the original plant in a friend's garden when traveling around Salt Lake City a few years ago. It was early June and his garden was at peak bloom. And growing off to one side of the yard in among a drift of ice plants was a magnificent specimen of Salvia 'May Night'. As I wandered around looking at all the flowers, I noticed that growing right next to it was a pint-sized version of itself. Clearly a seedling with dwarf genetics had sprouted and established itself.
I was thrilled to see it and asked for a cutting. That very next week, my friend very generously dug up the whole plant and mailed it to me! So it was off to the races as I began to propagate this little beauty and grow some plants to transplant into my test gardens the following year. And it didn't disappoint.
Companion Plants
After several years of testing, 'Little Night' is indeed a dwarf version of 'May Night'. And all the wonderful attributes of its larger parent have been passed along to this stunning youngster. 'Little Night' is a superb companion plant whose dark flowers makes all the other flowering plants around it look even better. Because it grows in any soil type, I have been using it everywhere, pairing it up with all my favorite perennials. Of course, the dwarf size of 'Little Night' makes it useful in tight spaces and small gardens. But its use shouldn't be limited by its size, as it is excellent for massing (using groupings of 5 or more plants) planted in front of taller perennials and ornamental grass or as an edging plant to define paths and perennial beds.
In the past couple of years, I've paired it with:
- Bright scarlet Compact Pineleaf Beardtongue (Penstemon pinifolius 'Compactum')
- Bright yellow blooming 'Shimmer' Evening Primrose(Oenothera fremontii)
- Brilliant red flowering 'Furman's Red' Bush Sage (Salvia greggii)
- Magenta blooming 'Blut' Cold Hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma ashtonii)
- For a portrait in shades of blue Blue Avena Grass (Helictotrichon) and 'Select Blue' Catmint (Nepeta faassenii).
'Rose Marvel' Salvia (Salvia nemorosa) adds stunning spikes of large magenta-pink flowers to the summer garden. It’s a garden workhorse, reblooming without needing to be cut back, ...
Learn MoreRose Marvel Salvia Rose Marvel Meadow Sage Salvia nemorosa Rose Marvel$11.99 Sale $10.79Sale Price I Save 10%Per Plant - 5" Deep Pot'Rose Marvel' Salvia (Salvia nemorosa) adds stunning spikes of large magenta-pink flowers to the summer garden. It’s a garden workhorse, reblooming without needing to be cut back, and a pollinator favorite, attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The lovely herbaceous-scented foliage is deer and rabbit resistant. Drought tolerant once established. Nice cut flowers too!Learn MoreSalvia sylvestris ‘May Night’ (May Night Sage) blooms prolifically with deep purple-blue flowers. It is an outstanding perennial with excellent cold hardiness, vigor, and toleran...
Learn MoreMay Night Salvia May Night Meadow Sage Salvia sylvestris May NightAs low as $9.49 Sale $9.02Per Plant - 5" Deep PotSalvia sylvestris ‘May Night’ (May Night Sage) blooms prolifically with deep purple-blue flowers. It is an outstanding perennial with excellent cold hardiness, vigor, and tolerance of heavy clay soils. Blooming in late spring with a profusion of flower spikes, it reblooms later in the summer when deadheaded.Learn More‘Marcus’ is a tidy, dwarf selection that blooms all summer with deeply colored violet-purple flowers. It is extremely cold hardy, browse resistant to deer and a lover of clay soi...
Learn MoreMarcus Dwarf Blue Salvia Marcus Dwarf Blue Sage Salvia nemorosa Marcus$9.99 Sale $9.49Sale Price I Save 5%Per Plant - 5" Deep Pot‘Marcus’ is a tidy, dwarf selection that blooms all summer with deeply colored violet-purple flowers. It is extremely cold hardy, browse resistant to deer and a lover of clay soils.Learn MoreA new native hybrid sage, FlowerKisser™ ‘Royal Rose’ is enjoyed for its sumptuous deep rose pink flowers. This Salvia is an exceptionally long bloomer, attracting pollinating h...
Learn MoreFlowerKisser™ Royal Rose Salvia FlowerKisser™ Royal Rose Sage Salvia x 'WWG04'$11.99 Sale $11.39Sale Price I Save 5%Per Plant - 5" Deep PotA new native hybrid sage, FlowerKisser™ ‘Royal Rose’ is enjoyed for its sumptuous deep rose pink flowers. This Salvia is an exceptionally long bloomer, attracting pollinating hummingbirds and bumblebees from late spring through early fall. The foliage is delightfully aromatic, releasing a pleasing sweet herbal scent when brushed or touched. Discovered by HCG Chief Horticulturist David Salman, and available exclusively from High Country Gardens.Learn More
Text and Photos by David Salman.
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