103
Every year for decades I’ve grown purple farinacea salvias like ‘Victoria Blue’. They aren’t flashy and they don’t attract hummingbirds like the red salvias do, but boy do these plants bloom for a long time.
‘Victoria Blue’ and ‘Evolution’ both grow about 18 inches tall with purple spikes that attract bees. I use these plants to break up all the warm colors among the zinnias and marigolds I grow.
You can just plant and forget these salvias. Insect and rodent pests ignore them and they never have any disease issues.
I start my plants indoors from seed about 10 weeks before my last average frost date in May, but you can also find them available for sale at garden centers in the spring.