Has anyone here had experience growing pineapple sage? I've grown it for the first time this year, and would like to know if it would do well overwintered inside. It's so pretty and is blooming very well for me. I hate to see the frost kill it.
Karen
mine did great until I forgot to water it last year.... Christmas always gets me
LOL! I will try and overwinter it.
I just got 4 very large brugmansias from a friend who no longer keeps up her greenhouse, as it's getting to be too much for her DH to get up at 3 a.m. every night in the winter to stock up the wood stove. She also gave me another tropical plant that I don't know the name of. She said they overwintered it in their cellar last year, and the foliage turned all white, but it greened back up as soon as they brought it back out. I put it in the cellar along with two of the brugs. The other 2 brugs are in my porch for the winter.
Karen
always worth a shot... you can always take cuttings from it as well.. easy rooter
Yes, I did take some cuttings to try. Thanks. I will probably have some for my next RU, unless I end up selling them.
Karen
woo hoo!!!
I tried growing it here in 9a in the ground and it was great until the frost hit it. I loved the smell!
GS, I'm surprised it didn't live for you. And I wouldn't think you'd get frost in 9a, but maybe it was an unusually cold winter? DG shows it being hardy to zone 8, but I guess it can't take much frost.
I see you're in Sacramento. I lived there a year and a half. Nice climate. I liked the cool, rainy winters, as opposed to the freezing ones here with snow and ice and slush.
Karen
Gee, if it won't survive California I wonder where it will grow in winter.
Mine is about 5' wide and 3' tall. I like how it covers so many other plants that aren't in bloom now.
Though I'm trying my best not to add to the indoor collection of plants I may make an exception for this robust plant.
What size will you cut it back to, Karen?
That's a nice looking one, Pirl. I cut mine back about at least 1/3. It was just too big for my porch. That meant I had to cut off most of the blooms and buds. There were a few left. I'm hoping it will produce more to put on a show indoors.
Karen
Our indoor porch isn't big enough to grow it at even half the size it is now so I'll have to gamble and take it down to about a foot in height and width. It will probably look awful but I'll try it anyhow since if I left it outside it would be hit by a killing frost in November.
Yes, try it and see how it works. You can also try and root some of the pieces you cut off. Use the newer, softer parts, I would think. I have mine in water and will see how that goes.
Karen
I'll try it and let you know if it worked for me. Thanks, Karen.
We did have an unusually cold spell during the winter my pineapple sage died so maybe it was just bad luck on my part. Now that I'm thinking about it again, I might try to grow it again this spring because it really is a great plant.
great plant Pirl!!!.... mine never got so huge... good for you
Thanks! It's probably years of putting compost in the flower beds. I just wish I knew where I bought the plant so I can buy another one next year.
this is where mine came from
http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/Buy-Sage-Pineapple-Herb-Herb-Garden-Plant-p1549.htm
not to throw off the thread but I bought a swedish ivy from there... and it has little white flowers... I had no idea
http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/Variegated-Plectranthus-Plant-p1379.htm
GS, I think you should try it again. Sacramento doesn't usually get that cold, so as long as you have a normal winter, you should have great luck with it. Have you ever heard of or been to Annie's Annuals and Perennials in Richmond, CA? I've ordered a lot of stuff from them and they send great quality. I can only grow about 1/3 of what they sell, unless I'm growing as annuals. There are several things they have there that I want to try next year. http://anniesannuals.com/
Allison, look at this plectranthus: http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/search/lst.srch.asp?prodid=1861&srch_term=plectranthus . I would love to grow one of these. Thinking of trying it next year and overwintering in my porch.
I got my PS from a local nursery. They had it listed as lemon verbena, but I was not so sure about that. I'd already gotten one, and this didn't smell anything like it. I thought it might be a different variety. Turns out it's not even in the same family.
Karen
oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh Karen that one is awesome!!!!.... never knew one grew so large... the others I have overwinter wonderfully.. and root as easy as coleus as well... my neighbor even kept one alive for 3 seasons now (that I gave her)... it is a purple noid.. but it has not bloomed for me since... the foliage gets nice and bushy... but no flowers yet.. still serves as a nice green filler in containers
Allison - is yours the fuzzy one? I've had it for years and loved it but it has never flowered. If planted outside (even a cutting) it will grow and have a definite pink cast to the white edge - very pretty. It also smells wonderful.
Karen - that purple one is a beauty!
Yes, isn't it gorgeous? I must have it! I'm drooling. My keyboard's getting all wet.
I went to Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, RI today, and they had some really nice pineapple sage plants there, much bigger than mine, though theirs were in the ground. Will post pics once I get them resized.
Karen
that is not the one that flowered Pirl... but I still have that one you gave me... and I bought many more this year... love them all
I brought my pineapple sage down here to Florida 2 years ago because I didn't have the heart to leave such a gorgeous full plant to meet its death in NH. It did great down here throughout the winter - even when we had fleeting temps of 32 for one night (without any frost). I lost it during the summer....must have gotten too hot or had too much rain. I'm not really sure what happened to it, but I loved it. The blooms were gorgeous. I feel sure it would do well indoors with some light during the winter.
How far did you cut it back before you brought it to Florida, Louise?
I didn't. lol Hank was not pleased. I put it behind the driver's side of the car so that it wouldn't block visibility. I won't be permitted to do that again. :)
Pirl - I think if you cut it back about halfway to just above a leaf, it would do okay. It should still have enough green on it. I would definitely cut off any blooms though.
Poor Hank!
Okay, I'll give it a try. It won't be easy to cut off all those flowers.
Louise, you probably lost it to the heat and not enough water, though I could be wrong. They're drought tolerant, but only if planted in the ground. In a container they need water a lot, nearly every day.
Karen
Mine was in the ground, but still it may have succumbed to the high temps here. It was in a very dry, sunny place. I was really sad.
Yes, that is sad.
Mine was hit by a frost last night, but is still doing fine...however, 20's tonight, so I'm letting it go....I just buy them at a local nursery....not expensive.
We haven't been hit by frost yet but it could happen tonight. I never did get around to digging it up so I guess I'll be buying more next year as well.
don't feel bad... I did not either... I have so many containers still on the deck that I was going to bring in... just didn't get to it
No frost last night, whew! It gives me another chance to get in more coleus and the pineapple sage. I did bring in the Mandevilla vines and they'll be happy inside all winter long.
Every year I say I'm getting a Mandevilla vine....then I don't.....didn't realize they wintered over well, so maybe next year. I really like the red ones.
I have a red one and a white one, Marilyn. I put them out by the pond each spring and bring them in after the first frost (they take a light frost well). They bloom heavily spring, summer, and fall and then intermittently in the house over winter. And the shiny leaves always look nice and green. They transition very well indoors to out and back.
Thanks for the info, Polly....I'll put one on the list for next year!
Glad my pineapple sage is in now. It's doing well, as are the cuttings I took.
I would love to get a mandevilla vine. My favorite is the pink, and I think I'll get it next year for my pink bed.
Karen
Here are a few pics of the pineapple sage at Blithewold Mansion last Monday, Oct. 24.
One more...
