I have been growing an herb I bought at a nursery labeled Pineapple Sage. It has grown into a very full, lovely shrub, but I am beginning to doubt that it's an herb at all. Is anyone familiar with this variety?
pineapple sage
Yes, Pineapple Sage is considered an herb. To be sure that what you have is in fact Pineapple Sage though, crush the leaves. They should have at least a faint pineapple scent.
Unfortunately, this plant - regardless of how large it's gotten - is only a "tender perennial", & is not hardy in Ohio. Heck, it's not even hardy here in Virginia except by luck/accident.
To keep it you either have to dig it up, pot it, & take it inside for the winter, or take some cuttings & root them in pots indoors for next spring.
Hi,
Yup that is a herb like Breezeymeadow said.
Dino
I had two large Pineapple Sage and love them. They are beautiful things about 3+ feet tall and are loaded with red flowers that bees, butterflies and h'birds like from late summer into frost. Mine die back in the winter and basically disappear, but come back every spring. I mulch everything very heavily after we start to get freezes. I gave one of the plants to my daughter for her garden in South Carolina and she says it is quite lovely there, too. I was rearranging plants and having two of them was a lot. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.
I am grateful for the information. My plant has just begun to flower, probably too late for the hummingbirds to enjoy. I believe they've begun leaving Ohio for sunnier climes until next spring. The flowers are quite spectacular, a brilliant red and unusual shape. I'm planning to mulch it over winter and hope for the best. It's in a fairly protected location.
It'll die back and disappear, but don't give up on it. Mulch it heavily and it probably will come back. Mine were the prettiest the summer after we had incredible snow (well, for No. Carolina) the winter before.
frogandtoad, your pineapple sage probably won't survive the winter even with protection. They aren't really hardy above zone 7 and I'm guessing that you are still in zone 5. They do root quite easily, and if you get seed, save it in a air tight container. Surface sow indoors about 6 weeks before setting out. Mine is just starting to flower - hoping for another month of frost free, but thinking I'd better get some cuttings just to be safe.