Salbei statt Lavendel: die pflegeleichte Alternative für bunte Beete

Lavendel und die trockenheitsverträgliche Alternative

Anyone who does not want to be constantly watering in summer, yet still wants a lively, colourful bed full of insects, will usually choose lavender. However, landscape designers have long favoured another plant that does all of this even better. It is tougher, flowers for longer and acts like a magnet for bees and bumblebees - while remaining almost startlingly easy to care for.

The professional gardeners’ favourite: sage as the secret star of the perennial border

Often sitting unobtrusively in a pot between bags of bark mulch and shelves stacked with fertiliser, perennial ornamental sage (Salvia) nevertheless regularly finds its way into professionals’ trolleys. Many people know sage only as a culinary herb or a tea for sore throats. In a border, though, it reveals an entirely different character: an exceptionally hardy yet highly decorative perennial.

Modern perennial sage forms neat, clearly defined clumps that give borders structure and depth. Its upright flower spikes add shape and colour to front gardens, rock gardens and naturalistic meadow strips.

Continuous flowers: how sage transforms border edges from spring

As soon as the soil warms up in spring, sage gets going. It produces vigorous new growth and sends slender flower spikes upwards, standing clearly above the foliage. Depending on the variety, they shine in:

• intense royal blue