The sages are excellent herbaceous perennials, mainly for open, sunny situations. They usually have aromatic foliage and erect stems carrying many flowers, often brightly coloured.

Salvia daghestanica makes a spreading mound of short branches, with soft leaves, looking silver as they are covered in fine hairs. Each stem and branch is terminated with a spike of royal purple flowers growing in whorls, blooming first in summer and again in autumn. It doesn't like being too wet, so is best in an alpine house, or otherwise under cover. If it is pruned hard after flowering, in remains compact; otherwise it can become a bit straggly.