Salvia African Sky

This is said to be a hybrid found in the Auckland Botanic Gardens: a cross between two South African species, Salvia scabra and Salvia chamelaeagnea, so it is a drought-tolerant type like its parents. It forms a shrub 1-2 m tall with flushes of beautiful sky-blue flowers over a very long period. Dead-head the plant after each flush of blooms. Prune hard in mid-August and fertilise at the same time. Note that the very invasive Salvia uliginosa is sometimes sold as 'African Skies' - make sure you don't plant that one: it has very pungent-smelling foliage and is a taller plant. Salvia 'African Sky' does spread into a large clump over time.

Postscript: in the end, I removed this plant. I found it too floppy and erratic in its flowering patterns. It may grow best if renewed from cuttings every few years.