Recommended for a more natural design, as ours grew at very different rates and if symmetry is important these may not deliver that, but they are really beautiful and due to their shorter height they play well with many other plants. Four of five survived (and Brecks were great about the fifth) - which I suspect is just the way of bare roots delivered by mail: there will be the odd loss. The largest plant is already two feet across, and this is only partway through its first summer. There was a delay between first flowering and bees and butterflies making it a regular stop, but now they're in it all the time. I love the blue hill salvia.