How to Grow Salvia 'Purple Fairy Tale' from Seed

September 16, 2026

Salvia verticillata Purple Fairy Tale spires with tiered whorls of violet-purple flowers

Bishy Barnabee's Growing Guides

How to Grow Salvia
'Purple Fairy Tale' from Seed

Whorled clary with violet-purple flowers stacked in tiers up each stem. A perennial that flowers in its first summer, stands without staking and shrugs off drought.

'Purple Fairy Tale' is a whorled clary, and the whorls are the point. Most border salvias carry a single dense column of flowers; this one packs its violet-purple blooms into tight rings spaced up the stem, so each spire reads as a series of tiers with air between them.

At 50 to 60cm it suits the front or middle of a border and stands upright without staking. It flowers in its first summer from an early sowing, which is unusual for a perennial, and bees work it from the first whorl to the last.

Quick Facts at a Glance

Plant Type

Hardy perennial

Sowing Time

Feb to Apr, after chilling

Flowering

June to September, first year

Position

Full sun, well-drained soil

Height

50 to 60cm

Difficulty

2 out of 5, easy

Understanding the Plant

'Purple Fairy Tale' is a variety of Salvia verticillata, the whorled clary of central and southern Europe. It is a hardy perennial with hairy, aromatic leaves that rabbits and deer tend to avoid, and once its roots are established it copes well with drought.

Winter wet, not cold, is what kills it. Good drainage matters far more than feeding.

Chill the seed first

The seed wants two or three weeks in the fridge before you sow it. Place it in a sealed bag with a little damp compost or sand. Sown straight from the packet, germination is slow and uneven.

When & How to Sow

Chill the seed, then sow under cover from February to April. February or March sowings give the best flowering in the first summer.

Deadhead to keep it going

Remove spent flower spikes as they fade. Left on, they set seed and the plant stops flowering.

Chill, then sow. After two or three weeks in the fridge, sow onto damp seed compost and cover lightly. Keep at 18 to 21°C. Seedlings appear in one to three weeks.
Prick out and grow on. Move seedlings into modules or small pots once they have true leaves, and grow on in good light.
Plant out after frost. Harden off and plant out from May to June, around 40cm apart, in full sun and well-drained soil.

Growing On Tips

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Sun and drainage

Full sun and free-draining soil. Add grit on heavy ground.

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Deadhead spikes

Take off spent spikes to keep flowers coming into September.

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Bee plant

Bees visit every whorl through the season.

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Drought tolerant

Water until established, then only in extreme drought.

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Rabbit resistant

The hairy, aromatic leaves are usually left alone by rabbits and deer.

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No staking or feeding

Stems stand upright on their own, and rich feeding only makes them soft.

Common Problems & How to Fix Them

Problem	Likely Cause	What to Do
Slow, uneven germination	Seed not chilled	Give seed two or three weeks in the fridge before sowing.
Flowering stops in summer	Spent spikes left on	Deadhead regularly.
Plants lost over winter	Winter wet around the crown	Improve drainage with grit or plant on a raised spot.
Few flowers in first year	Sown too late	Sow in February or March.
Soft, floppy growth	Rich soil or overfeeding	Grow in leaner soil without feeding.

When to Expect Flowers

Plants from a February or March sowing flower from June in their first year and continue into September with deadheading. Established plants return each summer.