I bring in pineapple sage and Coral Nymph every fall. They bloom all winter in a sunny window. Think I'll try it with a blue annual sage I got this summer as well. When they get too big to bring in, I just root a cutting and go from there.

I winter cuttings of 'Purple Majesty' and other tender salvias under grow lights in my garage. Minimum temp in there is around 40 degrees or just below. Make sure the potting mix is well drained and has a chance to dry to the touch between waterings, especially as it gets colder. A lot of my salvias will bloom in the garage under those conditions.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Has anyone had any luck with overwintering them in the garage in a dormant condition, with just enough watering to keep them alive???

Marsha

How cold does your garage get. This is my first year growing the sage, but from what I here it is rather tender. Maybe you should let it get killed to the ground by frost first, then pack it away in a dark insulated place. Maybe packed in a box filled with shredded news paper.

I've been really impressed with this sage - the purple flowers are killer. My only gripe is it seems a bit lax.

Hi Ward,

Yes, it is quite tender. My garage goes to maybe freezing, never lower. Ususally around 37 or so. I have sucessfully overwintered my Peter Pan Agapanthus, and had 11 blooms this year, the most yet :-) I also overwinter Lycoris which amazingly bloomed in late fall in the garage, so naturally I brought it in. Just beautiful. I dont know, I'm thinking I might let then stay outside till we get the first frost (not the killing frost), and then park them in the garage.

I'm chicken to let them experience the true killing frost. Anyone have any opinions on this??

Thanks,
Marsha

My solution to this problem is to take cuttings in late summer and carry over small plants in the house. All the tender salvia I planted as tiny cuttings this spring grew enormous, so it seems sensible to me. They root easily, too. It is probably not too late to start cuttings as a backup.

That's the best method. I use my above freezing back porch, where the pilot on the propane heater keeps the temperature above freezing. The plants grow all winter, and if I want I make more cuttings in January or February. And you do have to love the single season growth on some of these sages, one of my indigo spires grew about 8 feet wide and five feet tall from a 6 inch plant. I always underestimate how big salvia will grow, but it is nice to grow plants that exceed my wildest expectations. Whata show.

I have 6 small pots of the little buggers., so maybe I should bring them inside when it is getting extremely cold?? These guys have never been in the ground, as they were recently purchased. I recognized them for what they were at one of the box stores, although they were not id'd. For a buck, I figured I would take the gamble of trying to overwinter the guys.

Thanks,
Marsha

Box store, that's where I found mine too. The local Lowe's has provided me with many wanted plants. I'd rather use locally owned nurseries, and do so when I can, but there is no way I'm going to pass up something like Purple Majesty. It is time to make cuttings, once frost is predicted there are enough other plants to panic about without adding this to the list.

Since these guys are in such small pots, I thought i would bypass the cuttings stage, and treat these guys as "cuttings". I still cant decide if I should let the frost hit them or not. I may bring a few in the house and treat as house plants, as some suggested, and then experiment with a few in the garage.

Do you guys think that since I am bypassing the cuttings stage, I should let them sit outside until the first frost (not killing frost)????

Thanks!