'Purple Knockout' Lyre Leaf Sage - Salvia lyrata ‘Purple Knockout’

 Category: Groundcover

Common Name: 'Purple Knockout' Salvia - Lyre Leaf Sage

Scientific Name: Salvia lyrata 'Purple Knockout'

Sun Conditions:Full Sun/Partial Shade

Soil Conditions: Dry to Moist

Height Range: 8-12 in (flower spikes to 18 in)

Width Range: 8-12 in

Growth Habit: Low basal rosettes with upright flower spikes; self-sows into a groundcover

Growth Rate: Fast

Bloom Color: Pale lilac-blue to violet

Bloom Time: Spring to Summer

Seed/Fruit Production: Yes

Foliage Color: Burgundy to deep purple (turns red in fall)

Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9

Evergreen: Semi-evergreen ("wintergreen" — basal rosettes persist through winter)

Deer Resistant: Yes, moderately (deer tend to eat the flower stalks but not the basal leaves)

Forage: Basal leaves generally left alone by deer; seeds eaten by goldfinches and other small songbirds

Poisonous: No known toxicity

Wildlife Value Highlights: Groundcover and mowable lawn alternative, a native substitute for Ajuga; edges of beds, driveways, rain gardens and rock gardens; green roofs; self-sows readily (mow right after flowering to limit spread)

Ecological/Landscape Use: Spring flowers draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds; seed heads feed goldfinches and small songbirds in late summer and fall

Lepidoptera Supported by Family/Group: Not documented as a larval host; nectar plant for butterflies and hummingbirds

Lepidoptera Supported by Species: N/A

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