On Wed, 7 Jul 2004 18:43:33 -0500, Mark Anderson
wrote:


I don't know what exactly kind of sage this is but the seed package I
planted last year just said it was sage. So I overwinter this plant
inside under lights and it did OK and made it through green and growing
all winter. In early June, while in a container outside, the sage
decides to flower which was nice and I let it. Now the flowers are
making seeds and it looks like the entire plant is about to die as if the
plant decided it has done its duty and isn't needed anymore.

Is this normal? I don't think I timed the lights properly in the winter
which caused all kinds of problems with seeds I tried to start. I also
overwintered a bunch of pineapple sage in the same environment and those
are doing well and last year they didn't bloom until November here in
Zone 5 Chicago. I'm wondering if perhaps I shouldn't have let it flower.

My culinary sage is in the ground and is growing like a forest; I
don't know what I'm doing right. We're in zone 6 and it's 3 years
old. I let it flower every spring, this year I got lots of huge
purple flowers so I cut them for a bouquet. If I cut a stem back,
woody or otherwise, it starts sprouting leaves.

It survived last winter's severe freezes (my rosemary didn't). It is
very overgrown and I have been cutting it back bit by bit to get it
back to a smaller form, but I feel somewhat out of control :

You might try cutting one stem to about 3 inches and see if that will
stimulate new growth.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!