Garden Gate – October 2019

GardenGateMagazine.com | GARDEN GATE 37

3 | Mexican bush sage has flower spikes that elegantly

dip outward and dance in a breeze. Pair this salvia

with round, erect flower forms, like orange lion’s ear.

Mexican

bush sage

Lion’s

ear

by the time fall rolls around. Pinch back the coleus

in summer to give the sage room to take off. Soon it

will be a stunning focal point and give the window-

box a whole new appearance for the change of sea-

sons. Keep in mind that most sages grown as annuals

are only available for purchase in the spring and

summer, so plan ahead if you intend to use a certain

kind as an important part of your garden in the fall.

SAGES AS STATEMENTS Pineapple sage and

Mexican bush sage, in photo 3, are two species that

put on a show for only one season: the fall. The

shorter days stimulate their blooms. Because of this,

they aren’t always available for purchase in colder

zones with early frosts because just as their blooms

are getting started, they sometimes get nipped. But

their massive size and dramatic appearance give

them an irreplaceable spot in the fall garden. They

grow up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide and have loose

habits with long fl ower spikes that are more likely

to curve and dangle. Because they put on one big

fantastic show, rather than blooming consistently all

season, use only one to three plants and work them

throughout your garden as statements.

It’s not a surprise that late-blooming sages look

good with other perennial fall favorites. A collection

of round, compact garden mums planted around the

base of Mexican bush sage or pineapple sage gives

these salvias more form and contrasts impressively

with their looseness. Combine late-season sages with

maiden grasses so fl owers and seedheads mix and

mingle or with feather reed grass whose dense foliage

is a backdrop for the blooms. Arkansas amsonia will

provide pretty blue blooms in late spring while sages

are still getting started, and then can play a sup-

porting role in fall as the foliage turns an attractive

yellow. Or annuals with colorful maroon or purple

foliage, such as coleus, offer color in seasons before

the salvias bloom.

Now turn the page to learn what will keep these

plants looking their best into the fall season.

2 | Scarlet sage’s red flowers emerge f rom red

calyxes — the tubular part that holds the flower — so

it looks like it’s still blooming, even late into October

after many of the flowers fall.

Botanical

Names

Arkansas amsonia

Amsonia hubrichtii

Coleus

Plectranthus

scutellarioides

Feather reed grass

Calamagrostis x

acutiflora

Garden mum

Chrysanthemum

hybrids

Lion’s ear

Leonotis leonurus

Maiden grass

Miscanthus sinensis

Mexican bush sage

Salvia leucantha

Pineapple sage

Salvia elegans

Scarlet

sage

LOCATION: The Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens and the Steven M. Still Perennial Garden (2); The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (3)

GG14934_39_Salvia.indd 37GG14934_39_Salvia.indd 37 6/26/2019 10:42:28 AM6/26/2019 10:42:28 AM

GardenGateMagazine.com | GARDEN GATE 37

3 |Mexicanbushsagehasflowerspikesthatelegantly

dipoutwardanddanceina breeze.Pairthissalvia

withround,erectflowerforms,likeorangelion’sear.

Mexican

bushsage

Lion’s

ear

bythetimefallrollsaround.Pinchbackthecoleus

insummertogivethesageroomtotakeoff.Soonit

willbea stunningfocalpointandgivethewindow-

boxa wholenewappearanceforthechangeofsea-

sons.Keepinmindthatmostsagesgrownasannuals

areonlyavailableforpurchaseinthespringand

summer,soplanaheadif youintendtousea certain

kindasanimportantpartofyourgardeninthefall.

SAGESASSTATEMENTS Pineapplesageand

Mexicanbushsage,inphoto3, aretwospeciesthat

putona showforonlyoneseason:thefall.The

shorterdaysstimulatetheirblooms.Becauseofthis,

theyaren’talwaysavailableforpurchaseincolder

zoneswithearlyfrostsbecausejustastheirblooms

aregettingstarted,theysometimesgetnipped.But

theirmassivesizeanddramaticappearancegive

themanirreplaceablespotinthefallgarden.They

growupto4 feettalland3 feetwideandhaveloose

habitswithlongflowerspikesthataremorelikely

tocurveanddangle.Becausetheyputononebig

fantasticshow,ratherthanbloomingconsistentlyall

season,useonlyonetothreeplantsandworkthem

throughoutyourgardenasstatements.

It’snota surprisethatlate-bloomingsageslook

goodwithotherperennialfallfavorites.Acollection

ofround,compactgardenmumsplantedaroundthe

baseofMexicanbushsageorpineapplesagegives

thesesalviasmoreformandcontrastsimpressively

withtheirlooseness.Combinelate-seasonsageswith

maidengrassessoflowersandseedheadsmixand

mingleorwithfeatherreedgrasswhosedensefoliage

is a backdropfortheblooms.Arkansasamsoniawill

provideprettybluebloomsinlatespringwhilesages

arestillgettingstarted,andthencanplaya sup-

portingroleinfallasthefoliageturnsanattractive

yellow.Orannualswithcolorfulmaroonorpurple

foliage,suchascoleus,offercolorinseasonsbefore

thesalviasbloom.

Nowturnthepagetolearnwhatwillkeepthese

plantslookingtheirbestintothefallseason.

2 |Scarletsage’sredflowersemergef romred

calyxes—thetubularpartthatholdstheflower—so

it lookslikeit’sstillblooming,evenlateintoOctober

aftermanyoftheflowersfall.

Botanical

Names

Arkansas amsonia

Amsonia hubrichtii

Coleus

Plectranthus

scutellarioides

Feather reed grass

Calamagrostis x

acutiflora

Garden mum

Chrysanthemum

hybrids

Lion’s ear

Leonotis leonurus

Maiden grass

Miscanthus sinensis

Mexican bush sage

Salvia leucantha

Pineapple sage

Salvia elegans

Scarlet

sage

LOCATION: The Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens and the Steven M. Still Perennial Garden (2); The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (3)