I can never get Mystic Spires Blue Salvia (Zone 7 hardy) to reliably recover after winter (we're in Zone 8b, but colder recently). Starting in February/early March, Mystic Spires will start leafing out from the base of the prior season's plant. My issue is this new growth comes mainly from the died back, old main stem at the root crown rather than from the roots themselves (like with Salvia Nemorosa). As soon as there is a windy day, this new growth starts separating from the old wood, causing portions of the plant to die back. As such, I've ended up treating Mystic Spires as an annual for the prior three years. Such a shame as it is a stellar plant. If I am doing something wrong as we head into winter, I would love to know what it is.
Thank you for this information. My sage (Salvia officinalis) has a very lanky woody form as I didn't prune it properly. Hopefully, I can prune it hard when it's more dormant (although it's basically evergreen, here) to make it a better looking plant.
Oh wow since you are a master gardener, I noticed my lavender, which died on one side apparently over the winter, is approx 18” tho the first 6” and some 12” is woody. Should I also cut the wooden branches in winter? The sage is a mess, it’s making seed pods on some branches but still blooming on others, so I didn’t have the heart to trim it bc I have so many bumble bee friends who feed off it. Hoping they stay there and away from my rose that I put Sevin on. Im not goin to fight with the Jap beetles this yr and waste money on Dead Bug that didn’t work last yr. But if you think the Sevin will kill the bees, I’ll just dig up that darn rose…between the beetles n black spot. I know this post is two yrs old, hopefully you are well. 🙂
“They’re basically goof proof”
I like the sound of that :)
Thanks for the lesson. Simple informative and very helpful.
I can never get Mystic Spires Blue Salvia (Zone 7 hardy) to reliably recover after winter (we're in Zone 8b, but colder recently). Starting in February/early March, Mystic Spires will start leafing out from the base of the prior season's plant. My issue is this new growth comes mainly from the died back, old main stem at the root crown rather than from the roots themselves (like with Salvia Nemorosa). As soon as there is a windy day, this new growth starts separating from the old wood, causing portions of the plant to die back. As such, I've ended up treating Mystic Spires as an annual for the prior three years. Such a shame as it is a stellar plant. If I am doing something wrong as we head into winter, I would love to know what it is.
Thank you for this information. My sage (Salvia officinalis) has a very lanky woody form as I didn't prune it properly. Hopefully, I can prune it hard when it's more dormant (although it's basically evergreen, here) to make it a better looking plant.
Thank you!
thought my Cleveland sage was gonna die from overwatering...but now maybe its just "woody" and will bloom in spring....fingers crossed.
💗💗💗
Oh wow since you are a master gardener, I noticed my lavender, which died on one side apparently over the winter, is approx 18” tho the first 6” and some 12” is woody. Should I also cut the wooden branches in winter?
The sage is a mess, it’s making seed pods on some branches but still blooming on others, so I didn’t have the heart to trim it bc I have so many bumble bee friends who feed off it. Hoping they stay there and away from my rose that I put Sevin on. Im not goin to fight with the Jap beetles this yr and waste money on Dead Bug that didn’t work last yr. But if you think the Sevin will kill the bees, I’ll just dig up that darn rose…between the beetles n black spot.
I know this post is two yrs old, hopefully you are well.
🙂
Ms. Schink, I pruned my woody sage per the video. Is it normal for the sage to be slow to come back?? Mine is coming back really slowly.