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.

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.


"Mark Anderson" wrote in message
.net...

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.

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.

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.

Just 30 miles sw of you..................i clip mine continually and never
let it flower.
I do this because my grandmother and mother never let theirs flower.
Also have just covered them and let them take their chance in a cold frame
over the winters.
Sometimes they do better than the two i bring in for winter use.
*
*
*

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.

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!

Ordinary garden sage is hardy to zone 5. However, some people claim that it
is longer-lived if it is thoroughly dead-headed after flowering. To do this,
I just take a lopper and cut the entire plant back to about a foot tall. It
quickly sprouts new leaves, but doesn't bloom again.

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:56:13 GMT, "SugarChile"
wrote:

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.

I think you're correct. A picture (Mark posted
http://www.brandylion.com/images/sage-flower.jpg )
Is certainly helpful.

I was about to go on and on about Salvia officinalis, which his plant
clearly isn't.

"Frogleg" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:56:13 GMT, "SugarChile"
wrote:

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.

I think you're correct. A picture (Mark posted
http://www.brandylion.com/images/sage-flower.jpg )
Is certainly helpful.

I was about to go on and on about Salvia officinalis, which his plant
clearly isn't.

.....which raises the question of which plant he really wanted. Primarily for
culinary use, or "other"?

In article says...
I think you're correct. A picture (Mark posted
http://www.brandylion.com/images/sage-flower.jpg )
Is certainly helpful.

I was about to go on and on about Salvia officinalis, which his plant
clearly isn't.

....which raises the question of which plant he really wanted. Primarily for
culinary use, or "other"?

I grow parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme as well as chives, garlic,
catnip, lovage, borage, lavender, oregeno, and several variety of mints
and basil. I don't cook and give anything that's edible away to those
who do. I like growing herbs for their foliage so I didn't want that
plant to flower so early in the year and peter out. It didn't even have
a chance to get big.

I have since deadheaded it and it looks like it's getting new leaves now.

I find what to deadhead and what not to deadhead to be the most confusing
part of gardening.

Mark,

Your plant looks extremely similar and sounds a lot like the Salvia Argentea I
have in my yard in Valparaiso. The flowers look like a cat's claw and feel
sticky to the touch. If allowed to flower, the stalks get too tall and top
heavy and fall over other plants nearby. It also causes the foliage to fade
from its bright wooly silver to a yellowish green. After the first year, I now
cut the flower shoots off and the foliage looks much better. You'll only have
to deal with insects eating holes in the the leaves now. If you search for
Salvia Argentea, you'll see cutting the flowers is the agreed upon method by
most as the foliage is the attraction here.

Mike

Mark,

Your plant looks extremely similar and sounds a lot like the Salvia Argentea I
have in my yard in Valparaiso. The flowers look like a cat's claw and feel
sticky to the touch. If allowed to flower, the stalks get too tall and top
heavy and fall over other plants nearby. It also causes the foliage to fade
from its bright wooly silver to a yellowish green. After the first year, I now
cut the flower shoots off and the foliage looks much better. You'll only have
to deal with insects eating holes in the the leaves now. If you search for
Salvia Argentea, you'll see cutting the flowers is the agreed upon method by
most as the foliage is the attraction here.

Mike