Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Canary Island Sage bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Canary Island Sage, Canary Sage, Paper Sage (Salvia canariensis).

More about canary island sage

About Canary Island Sage

Salvia canariensis · also called Canary Island Sage, Canary Sage · flowering

Salvia canariensis is a vigorous evergreen shrub endemic to the Canary Islands, where it grows on dry rocky hillsides and scrubland. It forms a large, architectural specimen with thick stems densely clothed in white-woolly hairs, broad arrow-shaped grey-green leaves, and spectacular foot-long panicles of violet flowers with conspicuous rose-purple calyces from spring through summer. It is drought-tolerant and fast-growing but frost-sensitive, requiring greenhouse or conservatory protection in most of the UK. The ASPCA considers the Salvia (sage) genus non-toxic to dogs and cats.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons canary island sage isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming canary island sage traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding canary island sage a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get canary island sage to flower

Maximise sun. Give canary island sage the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for canary island sage and get the feeding right with the canary island sage fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Canary Island Sage flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full canary island sage care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Canary Island Sage blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my canary island sage flower?

Canary Island Sage blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make canary island sage bloom?

Give canary island sage the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does canary island sage normally bloom?