The stems/stalks are square and a bit hairy/fuzzy and it resseds itself each year. The flowers aren't scented, neither is the foliage. The bees and humminbirds love it.
It's one of the blue ornamental sages, most but not all of which are perennials. If you want to try to figure out exactly which one I could go on a comparing-to-book-photos expedition, or you could try that yourself by googling "blue sage" or something like that.
Hope this helps,
Pat, quite fond of perennial blue sages - pretty, bloom all summer with just a wee bit of deadheading occasionally, don't need watering, and you can't kill 'em with a stick
I was going to say Russian Sage also. I want one of these!!! The local floral/gift shop had some outside their place last year that were about 3 ft. high and absolutely LOVELY!
Nope, it's not Russian Sage, which is an entirely different plant. And has lighter purplish flowers, and greyish finely-dissected leaves. Nice plant too, but this isnt it
Specifically that looks like a form of Salvia nemorosa, meadow or field sage. They reseed readily, bloom for a long period of time if deadheaded, and are generally a delightful addition to the garden. More about them here.