Salvia nemorosa Rose Queen - Woodland Sage

The Salvia nemorosa 'Rose Queen' (synonym Rosakönigin) is a lovely variety of wood sage with pink flowers. It blooms early and its flowering extends throughout the summer, adorned with numerous densely packed spikes of bright pink flowers, above aromatic green foliage that rustles. This robust plant excels in windy gardens, is water-efficient, and very cold-resistant. Easy to grow, this is a wonderful perennial for the garden that will not disappoint.

The Salvia nemorosa 'Rose Queen' is a perennial of the lamiaceae or labiate family. Its wild ancestor, wood sage, is a species native to central Europe and western Asia. 'Rose Queen' eventually forms a bushy clump of leafy stems 50 cm (20in) tall when flowering, spreading about 40 cm (16in) wide. This perennial develops from a prostrate rosette of oval, rich green, toothed leaves that persist in winter. Flowering begins between May and June. The plant then offers new waves of flowers between July and September if the faded flower spikes are pruned. The flowers are produced in terminal clusters composed of numerous small flowers (0.5 to 1 cm (0in)) of bright pink with mauve highlights, enclosed in purple bracts. This mixture of hues is bright and very fresh. The beautiful compact spikes with nectar-rich flowers delight butterflies. The base of the stems is often reddish. 

This 'Rose Queen' wood sage is resistant to everything, even wind, cold, heat, and poor soils.  It will look superb alongside white-flowered plants like Chamaemelum nobile 'Plenum', a red rose for a strong contrast, or with grey artemisia foliage in dry soil. In cooler soil, for example, this plant can be combined with 'Physocarpus opulifolius Lady in Red', which has beautiful purple foliage. It also pairs well with pink-flowered plants like pink vervain, shrubby mallow 'Barnsley' or Penstemon 'Evelyn'. It is also perfect for mass plantings and borders alongside the blue flowers of Perovskia or perennial Geraniums.   

With over 900 species of annuals, perennials, and softwood shrubs distributed throughout the globe, except for very cold regions and tropical forests, the genus Salvia is the richest in the lamiaceae family. The name Salvia, which dates back to Roman times, derives from the Latin salvus "healthy" in reference to the medicinal properties of common sage.