Salvia miltiorrhiza

With leaves that look more like a potato plant than a salvia, Chinese Red Sage is quickly becoming one of my favorite new perennials. The word red in its name is in reference to the color of its roots, as its spring flowers are gorgeous purple-blue. One of the traits that I find remarkable about this plant is that it seems to be one of the most responsive perennials to dead-heading. It’s possible to get two or three flushes of flowers after the spent scapes of the initial bloom are removed. Used as a medicinal herb in its homeland, Chinese Red Sage is also called Danshen. This particular selection has the spectacular cultivar name of ‘BLBP 01’.