Meadow sage

Questions about meadow sage

Does meadow sage need sun or shade?

Meadow sage grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does meadow sage grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does meadow sage flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should meadow sage be planted?

18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many meadow sage plants do I need?

At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.

Is meadow sage poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Is there a native plant like meadow sage?

Meadow sage comes from Europe and west-central Asia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Purple milkweed: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in taller, bold leaves, not medium.
• Ohio spiderwort: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 8 in taller, blue, not purple.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat meadow sage?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after meadow sage?

Meadow sage is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
• Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does meadow sage look like in winter?

Meadow sage dies down, but leave the stems standing: the seed heads stand through the winter, and songbirds eat the seed. Cut them down in early spring, before the new shoots come.

Is meadow sage good for bees and butterflies?

Meadow sage is visited by bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and songbirds.