Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Pineapple Sage

At the beginning of summer I planted a number of herbs, one of them being pineapple sage, Salvia elegans. The plant is just now starting to bloom and both hummingbirds and butterflies love it. The plant is a short day plant which means it doesn't flower until the length of sunlight during the day lessons. Even a porch light may negatively affect their blooms; moon and star light aren't bright enough to affect blooming. The plant blooms over a long period of time in late autumn. I love the fact the blossoms provide food for hummingbirds and butterflies late in the season when there may not be other plants blooming.

The plant has gotten four foot tall in one season and was planted from a three inch pot. In a hard frost the plant will die to the ground but will hopefully come back next season. The leaves and flowers are edible and medicinal. Pineapple sage is native to the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala and is used in Mexican traditional medicine for anxiety and lowering blood pressure. The plant has antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.

Sunday I fired a bisque load and yesterday I glazed. I fired the kiln overnight last night. Tomorrow I should have some new pots to show you. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

12 comments:

  1. Nice pineapple sage. I'll try some next year. I like the idea of more flowers that bloom in fall.
    Toes crossed for successful firings!

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    1. Hi Suzi, thanks, the black eyed susan is also blooming right now. All came out great, stay tuned.

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  2. Lovely thing to do for the birds. That flower looks pretty.

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    1. Hi Gigi, thanks, soon it will be covered with red blossoms.

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    1. Hi Barbara, thanks, can't wait for the whole plant to be covered in red.

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  4. It's a beautiful plant. Looking forward to new pots.

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  5. That's a cool plant and huge considering how small it started. Does it taste anything like the sage that we typically use?

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    1. Hi Michele, thanks, several of the herbs I planted grew quite large, very happy with that. No it doesn't taste like the garden sage at all, sweeter really.

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  6. You have reminded me I need to replace ours (killed by a hard frost). Beautiful things - and I love the scent of the leaves.

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    1. Hi Elephant's Child, thanks, oh gee I hope I can save mine. I have ground cover cloth and bark and may be some pine mulch for over wintering it.

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment