Does this spot get full sun all day? The leaves and look of the area has me questioning that. Sage needs full sun, all day. A few days of rain and clouds won't cause sage to grow weak - heck, I get weeks straight of that type of weather and my sage does well.

But drainage is the other key item. The soil needs to drain well. If water pools in this area, you should move it.

FataMorgana

I think it must be staying too wet. It isn't growing weak, it's wilting. Someone told me sage doesn't like wet feet, and also doesn't like our hot climate. Right now, yes, this spot is getting pretty much full day sun, and I need to move it to a drier spot pretty soon. I'm going to put it in a pot and move it to a spot that will get more sun this summer.

Just another comment, I've had less luck over the years with Baumgarten than just the regular, unnamed Salvia officinalis garden sage plants. In fact, all named garden sage cultivars I've tried haven't been as robust as their unnamed and not so fancy sisters.

FataMorgana

I only had a problem once starting Sage from seed. It seems some are bi-annuals and those plants put on blooms and died the same week. But so far the seeds I bought the last time are now 3 years old. They do say they need to be pruned back if they get leggy like the ones you has posted as photos for viewing. If or when you get ready to move the plant I would prune it back and dip the pruning s in roottone and put them in soil for more plants. If you get too many you can find homes with friends.

This post was edited by wally-1936 on Sat, Mar 30, 13 at 10:35

In my experience, Baumgarten sage does very well (big leaves) in good garden soil with a lot of room for roots, good drainage, and at least 70% daylight sun. Mine did not perform well if roots can't expand or with unwanted sapping bugs. Could be wrong but looks like your plant is being snacked on.