Dying Sage

[Marb67]

Can anyone suggest how to get this purple sage through winter in a cold greenhouse please ?

[Mark Rand]

My sage stays outside all year.

[peanut]

Same here, its planted outside, some in the ground, some in pots.

[Snoop Puss]

Yes, mine stays outside too.

Anyone got any pruning advice for Marb? Or would you not bother for such a small plant?

[Marb67]

I can tell you it won't survive outside. I can see that by it's wispy growth that is getting less and less.

[Snoop Puss]

Then just leave it in your greenhouse, Marb. At least there it won't get rained or snowed on, so it won't get too wet.

If you get frost or extremely cold conditions in your greenhouse, you'll need to protect the roots in such a small pot, so wrap the pot in some kind of insulation and put some kind of mulch over the soil surface.

Sage dies back in the winter and the plant will regrow in the spring. It's meant to get less leafy at this time of year, so increasing wispiness is in fact quite natural and not at all a problem. Indeed, if you want sage for stuffing for Christmas, I'd be inclined to cut the few leaves it has now and dry them.

[Marb67]

Then just leave it in your greenhouse, Marb. At least there it won't get rained or snowed on, so it won't get too wet.

If you get frost or extremely cold conditions in your greenhouse, you'll need to protect the roots in such a small pot, so wrap the pot in some kind of insulation and put some kind of mulch over the soil surface.

Sage dies back in the winter and the plant will regrow in the spring. It's meant to get less leafy at this time of year, so increasing wispiness is in fact quite natural and not at all a problem. Indeed, if you want sage for stuffing for Christmas, I'd be inclined to cut the few leaves it has now and dry them.

Ok, thanks. I have polytene sheeting that drapes over all my plants which will hopefully protect.

[Snoop Puss]

Whatever you've got, Marb. But better still would be something like bubble wrap around the outside of the pot (not underneath, so you don't stop drainage) and something like dry coir or even shredded paper over the soil surface.