Pruning guide
How to prune purple sage
More purple sage care
- How to prune sage — the species this cultivar belongs to
- Full purple sage care guide
- Common purple sage problems & fixes
- How to propagate purple sage
- When to repot purple sage
Pruning purple sage — FAQ
When should I prune purple sage?
Lightly in early spring; again after flowering in midsummer. In early spring cut back soft stems by up to one-half, staying above the lowest green growth. After summer flowering, trim off spent flower spikes and shorten any straggly shoots. Never cut into hard, leafless old wood.
How often does purple sage need pruning?
Twice annually — early spring and post-flowering. Purple Sage becomes woody and open-centred quickly if left unpruned. Trim lightly after flowering each year to keep the mound dense and compact. In early spring cut back the previous year's soft growth by up to one-half. Avoid cutting into old, bare, grey wood — sage rarely regenerates from leafless old stems.
How do you prune purple sage?
In early spring cut back soft stems by up to one-half, staying above the lowest green growth. After summer flowering, trim off spent flower spikes and shorten any straggly shoots. Never cut into hard, leafless old wood.