Russian sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia, is an attractive plant with elongate, gray-green leaves and square, silvery-gray stems that produces an airy cloud of color late in the summer. The tiny, purple-blue, tubular flowers are arranged in whorls along long stems. Perovskia can be used in the middle or back of the border or cottage garden or in many other places in the landscape. It combines well with ornamental grasses and white or yellow-flowered perennials, especially white phlox, Rudbeckia (blackeyed Susan) and coreopsis. The silvery foliage and open architecture add an almost-Mediterranean feel to the landscape, and can also be useful as a filler plant or for separating stronger colors.