Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Salvia farinacea 'Strata' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Strata Bicolor Salvia, Blue-and-white Mealy Sage (Salvia farinacea 'Strata').

More about salvia farinacea 'strata'

About Salvia farinacea 'Strata'

Salvia farinacea 'Strata' · also called Strata Bicolor Salvia, Blue-and-white Mealy Sage · flowering

Salvia farinacea 'Strata' is a striking bicolour mealy-cup sage with silvery-white mealy stems topped by spikes of blue flowers set in pale, almost white calyces. An AAS and Fleuroselect award winner, it blooms all summer to frost, tolerates heat and drought once established, and is a magnet for bees and butterflies.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Leggy growth: Insufficient sun stretches stems and reduces flowering. Grow in full sun and pinch seedlings to promote branching.

The reasons salvia farinacea 'strata' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming salvia farinacea 'strata' 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 salvia farinacea 'strata' 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 salvia farinacea 'strata' to flower

Maximise sun. Give salvia farinacea 'strata' 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 salvia farinacea 'strata' and get the feeding right with the salvia farinacea 'strata' 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

Salvia farinacea 'Strata' 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 salvia farinacea 'strata' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Salvia farinacea 'Strata' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my salvia farinacea 'strata' flower?

Salvia farinacea 'Strata' 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 salvia farinacea 'strata' bloom?

Give salvia farinacea 'strata' 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 salvia farinacea 'strata' normally bloom?