A close-up of Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, showing vibrant purple flowers with indigo-blue bracts, green stems and leaves, and a softly blurred floral garden background.
A close-up of Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, showing vibrant purple flowers with indigo-blue bracts, green stems and leaves, and a softly blurred floral garden background.Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features tall purple wildflowers with indigo-blue bracts and dense green foliage, blooming beneath clear skies with trees and blurred greenery in the background.Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features dense clusters of vibrant purple flowers with indigo-blue bracts on upright green stems—perfect for dried flower arrangements and adding rich color to any display.Close-up of Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd—vibrant purple wildflowers with indigo-blue bracts, accented by white and light orange blooms, inspire dried flower arrangements amid lush green foliage.Close-up of Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd: vibrant purple flowers with indigo-blue bracts, green stems and leaves. The blurred garden background inspires beautiful dried flower arrangements.Clusters of Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd add vibrant purple and indigo-blue bracts to your garden, perfectly complemented by soft pink blooms and greenery—ideal for stunning dried flower arrangements.Clary Sage Oxford Blue by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features vibrant purple flowers with indigo-blue bracts and prominent veins on green stems. Ideal for dried flower arrangements; background shows soft-focus blooms and a wooden post.
Annual Pollinator

Clary Sage Oxford Blue

Salvia viridis 'Oxford Blue' — annual clary sage, single indigo-blue selection

£2.20approx. 150 seeds

Tall sturdy spikes topped with deep, velvety indigo-purple bracts — the longest-lasting blue in the cottage garden, exceptional fresh and dried.

Sowing months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Height
40–60cm
Spread
35cm
Spacing
25cm
Position
Full sun; partial shade produces paler, less saturated bracts.
Soil
Lean to average soil without additional fertiliser
Grow guide
How to grow Clary Sage Oxford Blue
Read the full guide →
About this variety

The single-colour selection from the annual clary family, and the soloist to the mixed varieties' carnival. Spikes of 60 to 75cm topped with deep, almost violet indigo bracts that look as though they have been varnished.

The colour lasts because it is not petal pigment at all — it is held in the bracts, which is why it survives summer rain, hot sun and eventually the vase far better than a true flower would. Weeks of display from one flush.

There is nothing as useful as a saturated indigo for making warm-toned arrangements sing, and it dries exceptionally well provided you keep it out of direct sunlight, since UV degrades blue dried-flower pigments faster than any other colour. Pinch the growing tip at ten centimetres for more cutting stems.

Plant alongside

Clary Sage Oxford Blue pairs beautifully with these cottage garden classics

Coreopsis Early Sunrise
Coreopsis Early Sunrise
£2.00
Ammi majus
Ammi majus
£2.20
Achillea Pastel Mixed
Achillea Pastel Mixed
£2.30

RHS Plants for Pollinators

This plant has been assessed by the Royal Horticultural Society and recommended as especially beneficial to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Growing plants like this directly supports UK pollinator populations — something close to our hearts at Salle Moor Hall Farm, where we see the difference a cottage garden full of the right plants can make.

Learn more at RHS.org.uk →