It looks like it might be clary sage, which is a biennial. If so, you are
correct in your observation that it has accomplished its mission in
flowering and is ready to die off.

AFAIK, there is no harm in letting culinary sage flower. The bees love it,
and it doesn't seem to set back the plant in any significant way. There are
also a lot of annual sages, grown strictly for the flowers, which keep on
coming all summer until heavy frost kills the plants.

Cheers,
Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA

"Mark Anderson" wrote in message
.net...
In article says...
Who can say what is normal for a plant if you don't know what it is?

Flowers would have very helpful in identifying it.

Here's a pic when it started flowering.

http://www.brandylion.com/images/sage-flower.jpg

Since then it grew three more flower stalks and has flowered for a month.
now the leaves are all yellowed and it doesn't look good. I bought these
seeds at the Chicago Botanical Gardens and the packet just said Sage.