However delicate the shoots of peach sage may appear, the plant can amass a staggering ten years of life. How the cold can thwart her plans needs to be looked at more closely. It is possible that the peach sage can only survive the winter safely with the intervention of its owner.

Peach sage comes from warm Mexico

A perennial but not hardy herb

The herb from Mexico can delight us for many years with its peach scent. The ornamental value of its flowers should not be underestimated. The long flowering period until autumn has also earned it the name autumn sage.

If the peach sage is cultivated under ideal conditions, it will grow for several years. In his home country he stays outdoors all his life. In this country he has no chance, because he is not hardy.

Peach sage should stay in the pot in this country

Since the peach sage does not tolerate frost, it has to move twice a year. In autumn we go to a warm quarter. In the spring they move outside. If he were in the garden bed, he would have to be constantly planted and dug up again.

This time-consuming work, which is certainly also exhausting for the sage, is saved if the plant grows permanently in the pot. The associated mobility makes wintering a good deal easier.

summer time and winter time

Let's use the term summer time to summarize all the days that this sage is allowed to spend outdoors. These are the warm, sunny days from mid-May to around the end of October. In some climatically favorable years he is allowed to leave earlier or he gets an extension.

The rest of the year, even if it extends from autumn to spring, is like winter for him. Because it doesn't matter if the temperature is just above zero or if it's freezing, the sage has to spend this time in the house.

Ideal place to stay during the "winter time"

The place of abode must be chosen with care, for the sage will stay there for many months. These are the criteria:

  • it should be light
  • with temperature values of 10 to 15 °C
  • then the plant gets a break
  • alternatively, hibernation at room temperature is possible

Cut back and maintain

Prune peach sage back to about a third before wintering. Place the scissors just above the new growth. Also remember that sage occasionally thirsts for water even in winter.

tips

Currant sage, which comes from Central America, is also not hardy and has to overwinter under similar conditions to peach sage.

Category:

Herbs