Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Mealycup Sage 'Victoria Blue' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Mealycup sage, Blue salvia (Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue').

More about mealycup sage 'victoria blue'

About Mealycup Sage 'Victoria Blue'

Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue' · also called Mealycup sage, Blue salvia · flowering

Mealycup sage 'Victoria Blue' sends up slender spikes of violet-blue flowers on mealy white-dusted stems all summer, drawing bees and hummingbirds. Tender perennial usually grown as an annual, it is heat- and drought-tolerant and excellent for cutting and drying. No Salvia is on the ASPCA toxic list.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Reduced bloom without deadheading: Spent spikes slow flowering; cut them back to keep new spikes coming through the season.

The reasons mealycup sage 'victoria blue' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming mealycup sage 'victoria blue' 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 mealycup sage 'victoria blue' 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 mealycup sage 'victoria blue' to flower

Maximise sun. Give mealycup sage 'victoria blue' 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 mealycup sage 'victoria blue' and get the feeding right with the mealycup sage 'victoria blue' 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

Mealycup Sage 'Victoria Blue' 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 mealycup sage 'victoria blue' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Mealycup Sage 'Victoria Blue' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my mealycup sage 'victoria blue' flower?

Mealycup Sage 'Victoria Blue' 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 mealycup sage 'victoria blue' bloom?

Give mealycup sage 'victoria blue' 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 mealycup sage 'victoria blue' normally bloom?