Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Turkish red sage, Turkish cliff sage (Salvia recognita).

More about turkish red sage

About Turkish Red Sage

Salvia recognita · also called Turkish red sage, Turkish cliff sage · flowering

Salvia recognita is a woody-based perennial endemic to central Turkey, where it grows at the base of cliffs at elevations up to 1,200 m in hot, dry conditions. It produces erect spikes of rose-pink flowers in summer above a clump of softly hairy, grey-green leaves. The most important care point is excellent drainage — it will rot in wet soil over winter. The ASPCA lists sage (Salvia) as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons turkish red sage isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming turkish red 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 turkish red 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 turkish red sage to flower

Maximise sun. Give turkish red 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 turkish red sage and get the feeding right with the turkish red 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

Turkish Red 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 turkish red sage care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Turkish Red Sage blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my turkish red sage flower?

Turkish Red 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 turkish red sage bloom?

Give turkish red 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 turkish red sage normally bloom?