Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Purple-flowered Sage bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Purple-flowered Sage, Autumn Purple Sage (Salvia purpurea).

More about purple-flowered sage

About Purple-flowered Sage

Salvia purpurea · also called Purple-flowered Sage, Autumn Purple Sage · flowering

Salvia purpurea is an evergreen shrubby sage native to southern Mexico and Guatemala, where it grows at moderate elevations in rich, well-drained soils with summer rainfall and mild winters. It bears numerous small but strikingly translucent light-purple flowers from summer through autumn, with yellowish-green fragrant foliage that brightens shaded garden areas better than many other salvias. It thrives in USDA zones 9–11, tolerating more shade than most members of the genus, and works well in containers in cooler climates where it can be overwintered frost-free. This species is not individually listed by the ASPCA; a precautionary mildly-toxic classification is applied.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons purple-flowered sage isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming purple-flowered 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 purple-flowered 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 purple-flowered sage to flower

Maximise sun. Give purple-flowered 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 purple-flowered sage and get the feeding right with the purple-flowered 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

Purple-flowered 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 purple-flowered sage care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Purple-flowered Sage blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my purple-flowered sage flower?

Purple-flowered 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 purple-flowered sage bloom?

Give purple-flowered 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 purple-flowered sage normally bloom?