Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Sesse's Sage, Sesse Sage (Salvia sessei).

More about sesse's sage

About Sesse's Sage

Salvia sessei · also called Sesse's Sage, Sesse Sage · flowering

Salvia sessei is a large, frost-tender perennial shrub native to central Mexico, where it grows in pine forest margins and woodland edges at elevations of 200–2,100 m across several central Mexican states. It was first collected by the Spanish botanists Martín Sessé y Lacasta and José Mariano Mociño during the 1777 Royal Botanical Expedition of New Spain. The plant bears soft red and chartreuse-toned flowers reminiscent of the related Salvia regla, and can reach 4.5 m in its native habitat but typically grows to around half that size in cultivation. The most critical care fact is that it is very sensitive to frost and requires a frost-free or near-frost-free environment. Not individually assessed by ASPCA; classified as mildly-toxic as a precaution.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons sesse's sage isn't blooming

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

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

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

Sesse's Sage blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my sesse's sage flower?

Sesse'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 sesse's sage bloom?

Give sesse'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 sesse's sage normally bloom?