Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Regel's sage, Queen's sage (Salvia regeliana).

More about regel's sage

About Regel's Sage

Salvia regeliana · also called Regel's sage, Queen's sage · flowering

Salvia regeliana is a large, herbaceous perennial sage originating from the mountains of Turkey and the Caucasus, forming wide, fragrant grey-green clumps topped with tall branching spikes of purple flowers in summer. It is heat-tolerant and well suited to sunny borders with good drainage. The most important care fact is to cut stems to the ground in late autumn or early winter, as the plant is fully deciduous. The ASPCA lists sage (Salvia) as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons regel's sage isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming regel's 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 regel's 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 regel's sage to flower

Maximise sun. Give regel's 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 regel's sage and get the feeding right with the regel's 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

Regel's 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 regel's sage care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Regel's Sage blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my regel's sage flower?

Regel's 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 regel's sage bloom?

Give regel's 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 regel's sage normally bloom?