How to Grow and Care for Hummingbird Sage

Hummingbird Sage Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing hummingbird sage:

• Plant in well-draining loamy or sandy soil, but don’t stress too much about sun—while hummingbird sage can grow in full sun, it also thrives in shade.
• Deadhead spikes after the flowers have faded to encourage the plant to continue blooming.
• Hummingbird sage is extremely drought tolerant, so you don’t need to worry about watering it regularly.

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Light

While hummingbird sage can grow in full sun, just as it often does in its native California, it does well in partial shade and shade. Because it is used to a cool, coastal woodland climate, hummingbird sage feels right at home without direct sunlight.

Soil

Hummingbird sage prefers a loamy or sandy well-drained soil. It isn’t picky about soil pH, and it can be planted in acidic, neutral, or alkaline soil.

Water

Hummingbird sage has extremely low water needs, and it does well even in drought conditions. Once established, water it twice monthly.

Temperature and Humidity

Hummingbird sage is hardy in zones 8 through 11, but it can stay evergreen in temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Below 20 degrees, it is still root hardy, and it will come back the next year.

Fertilizer

As long as it has well-draining, loamy, or sandy soil, you shouldn’t need to use a fertilizer for hummingbird sage.

Pruning

Hummingbird sage only needs occasional pruning to help it maintain the desired shape you want in your garden. It won’t hurt the plant to avoid pruning altogether. However, deadheading the spikes once the flowers have faded will encourage continuous blooming from late winter through mid-summer.

Propagating Hummingbird Sage

Hummingbird sage can be propagated through root division by dividing up the rhizomes in early fall or spring. You’ll need a pair of gardening gloves, a sharp knife, and fresh soil.

1. Carefully dig up the section of your hummingbird sage that you want to divide.
2. Gently tear apart the roots into clumps, breaking it into as many clumps as you would like new plants.
3. If the clumps don’t easily break apart, use a sharp knife to divide the sections.
4. Plant each section into the ground with fresh soil.
5. Keep it watered consistently as it acclimates to its new place in the ground.

How to Grow Hummingbird Sage From Seed

If you already have hummingbird sage in your yard, propagating it through root division is generally the way to go. But if you are planting your first hummingbird sage in the hopes of attracting pollinators to your garden, then you can grow it from seed. Here’s how.

1. Soak hummingbird sage seeds overnight before planting.
2. Plant each seed roughly two feet apart.
3. Expect the first signs of germination in roughly a month.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases 

Hummingbird sage is attractive to beneficial bugs, including bees and butterflies, and it attracts few pests, especially when it’s healthy and growing in the right soil and light conditions. Deer don’t find sage appealing, so one of the only animals you’ll find hanging out around your hummingbird sage is hummingbirds—and that’s one of the most delightful sights you can have in your garden.

It also isn’t impacted by many diseases, though it can fall victim to powdery mildew.

How to Get Hummingbird Sage to Bloom

Hummingbird sage is known for its clusters of brilliant magenta blooms that cover its tall foliage spikes. Known for its long bloom season, this is a popular plant for pollinators thanks to these vibrant blossoms.

Bloom Months

Expect a long bloom season with hummingbird sage. You’ll be treated to the jewel-tone flowers all the way from February through July. That’s three seasons of flowers, and you’ll have continuous blooms if you stay on top of deadheading.

What Do Hummingbird Sage Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The flowers of hummingbird sage are a vibrant pink-red shade of magenta with a subtly sweet fragrance. They have a tubular shape and are clustered in groups of up to 20 blooms along one tall spike.

How to Encourage More Blooms

You can encourage more blooms on hummingbird sage by deadheading as soon as the flowers begin to fade. Because plants want to let flowers fade and then seed, removing the blooms before they seed will tell the plant that it needs to produce more blossoms for another attempt at seeding.

Hummingbird Sage Companion Plants

Hummingbird sage is known as a garden border plant that will cover the ground with its semi-evergreen foliage and magenta blooms. Next to it, you can plant companion plants that also attract pollinators, like coral bells and other salvia plants, and create a hummingbird garden.

You can also plant hummingbird sage with trees and shrubs that will provide welcome shade. Bay laurel is a favorite companion plant in its native California.

Wildlife That Benefits From Hummingbird Sage

Because of its vibrant color, hummingbird sage is a magnet for pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds flock to its magenta flowers throughout its bloom season. And, because it isn’t impacted by pests or diseases, it’s a reliable food source for these pollinators for a significant portion of the year.

Common Problems With Hummingbird Sage

Hummingbird sage is not known for having many problems, but there are a few minor issues that can arise.

Powdery Mildew

When hummingbird sage is in a humid, shady environment, powdery mildew can become an issue. A spray designed to kill the powdery mildew will generally mitigate the problem. Typically, powdery mildew is only a temporary or minor annoyance, but it can cause damage if it’s allowed to persist.

Leaves Turning Brown

Hummingbird sage’s leaves can begin to turn brown if it’s getting too much sun or too much water—it should be easy enough to figure out which is the problem.